Columbia officers arrest 2 after Thursday chase
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Columbia police say two people were arrested after a Thursday vehicle chase turned into a foot pursuit in an east Columbia neighborhood.
Police department public information officer Brittany Hilderbrand said in an email 17-year-old Maurice Banks and 21-year-old Jamel Tackett were arrested on suspicion of multiple felony charges.
The department spokeswoman said officers located a suspicious vehicle near the intersection of Volunteer Drive and Grace Lane around 11:30 a.m. Thursday morning.
Officers tried to make contact with the driver but the car drove away, Hilderbrand said.
The vehicle chase ended on Kirk Hill Road.
According to the probable cause statement for Tackett, he and Banks ran from law enforcement.
Tackett was found nearly 100 yards from where the vehicle pursuit ended.
Officials say Tackett was taken into custody.
During a search of the area, police say they found a gun inside a flower pot covered slightly by bushes.
During the investigation into the gun, the firearm was reported stolen and inside the gun's magazine, police found red-tipped hollow point rounds. According to the PC statement, Detective Overton reported seeing the same rounds on a social media account known to belong to Tackett.
According to the probable cause statement, Banks ran from police but was tackled.
According to police, Banks had a gun in left hand and marijuana in right hand as he was running.
After placing Banks in handcuffs, police say they recovered the gun and 323.29 grams of marijuana in a plastic bag.
In the probable cause statement, the amount of marijuana found in Banks' possession is more than 300 times a typical user amount.
According to Boone County Jail data, Banks and Tackett were held in jail custody on $50,000 bonds.
Online court records say Banks was charged with multiple felonies including unlawful use of a weapon, resisting arrest and delivery of a controlled substance. The records included Tackett was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm and resisting arrest.
It's unclear as of Friday morning if officers were looking for any other people linked to the chase.
