A Maryland Heights man has been charged with four felonies after allegedly shooting a man in Eureka on Dec. 13 and leading police on a nearly 45-minute chase that ended with a crash in Franklin County, St. Louis County Police reported.
Brandon Burton, 29, was driving a 2018 Nissan Versa on I-44, and the shooting victim and a 30-year-old Hawk Point woman were inside the car with him. Burton and the victim allegedly had been involved in a robbery at a Walmart in Kirkwood earlier in the day, the probable-cause statement in the case said.
St. Louis Police have not released information about the alleged victim.
Burton and the shooting victim reportedly began to argue about the incident in Kirkwood, and the dispute became physical. Burton got off the interstate and drove to the 5300 block of Fox Creek Road in Eureka and then allegedly shot the victim multiple times and drove away, the probable-cause statement said.
At about 9 a.m., police got a call about the shooting and found an adult man suffering from a gunshot wound. The victim was transported to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. However, the man did require surgery, the report said.
A witness described the vehicle Burton was driving, and officers spotted the Nissan near highways 109 and AB. Officers attempted to stop the Nissan, but Burton fled in the car, the report said.
Police chased him through Wildwood, Ballwin, Pacific and Grey Summit. The pursuit ended when the Nissan crashed after going off the side of Hwy. AT near Hwy. O in Franklin County, St. Louis County Police reported.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported that the crash occurred after Burton attempted to avoid a spike strip on Hwy. AT and the car went off the left side of the road and struck a telephone pole. Burton and the woman were wearing seat belts, the patrol reported.
The two were transported by Meramec Ambulance to Mercy Hospital St. Louis in Creve Coeur with minor injuries, according to the report.
The car was totaled, the report said.
Burton allegedly confessed to the shooting and the incident at Walmart, according to the probable-cause statement.
He was charged with first-degree assault, a class A felony; unlawful possession of a firearm, a class D felony; resisting arrest, a class E felony; and armed criminal action, an unclassified felony, court records show.
Burton was being held in St. Louis County Jail without bond on Dec. 14, according to court records.
If convicted, Burton could be sentenced to 10 to 30 years or life in prison for the class A felony, as well as up to seven years for the class D felony, up to four years for the class E felony and at least three years for the armed criminal action charge.
Burton had a prior conviction. In December 2015, he pleaded guilty to second-degree domestic assault, a class C felony, stemming from a July arrest in Maryland Heights, court records show.
That sentence initially was suspended, and he was placed on probation. However, his probation was revoked in April 2016, and he was released on five years’ probation after completing a treatment program, according to court documents.
Burton also faces a first-degree property damage charge, a class E felony, for a June 2019 incident in Bridgeton, court records said.
The woman in the car with Burton also was arrested, but St. Louis County Police did not provide information indicating she was involved in either the Kirkwood incident or the shooting.