ST. LOUIS — A 22-year-old Berkeley man pleaded guilty in federal court to being a felon in possession of a firearm following a 2025 shootout and police chase, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri.
Ja’Lon Pittman admitted that he was caught with an AK-style pistol and a Glock pistol after Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers attempted to stop a stolen Chrysler 300 on Interstate 70. Federal prosecutors said Pittman drove faster than 120 mph before crashing near the Blanchette Bridge and fleeing on foot.
Investigators later found Pittman hiding beneath a van in a nearby parking lot, prosecutors said. The case was investigated by Columbia police, the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Missouri.
