Handcuffed man takes officers' car, St. Louis police say
St. Louis, MO – 04/07/2004

Leroy Jennings, 20, was charged Tuesday with stealing an unmarked St. Louis police car, authorities said. It was recovered, and Jennings was arrested a short time after the theft.

Police said two detectives stopped Jennings in the 5600 block of Ashland Avenue about 9:30 p.m. Monday and found him in possession of a small amount of cocaine, marijuana and a pistol. The detectives unloaded the pistol, placed it in the glove compartment, handcuffed Jennings and placed him in the back seat of their car, police said.

As the detectives were standing outside the car, which had the keys in the ignition, Jennings was able to slip a hand through a cuff, get into the front seat and drive off.

The car was found abandoned minutes later near Abner Place and Greer Avenue. Shortly after that, police got a call that Jennings was in a house in the 3100 block of Abner. They found him there, and also recovered the pistol, which had been removed from the glove compartment.

Jennings, of the 200 block of Elmdale Drive in Ferguson, was charged with four felonies - unlawful use of a weapon, auto theft, cocaine possession and escaping custody - and with marijuana possession and trespassing, both misdemeanors.

Back