A West Memphis man has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison and three years supervised release for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
U.S. District Judge Lee Rudofsky sentenced Deterrius Wilson, 36, Thursday afternoon in Little Rock, according to a news release from the U.S. attorney's office for the Eastern District of Arkansas.
In March 2018, West Memphis police officers initiated a traffic stop of a blue Ford Escape, but the driver refused to stop and sped up, resulting in a vehicle pursuit, the release states. During the chase, officers observed Wilson turn and point a handgun directly at them.
After several minutes, Wilson lost control of the vehicle and ran off the road, exited the vehicle and fled on foot through an alley, wearing camouflage body armor while carrying a handgun, the attorney’s office said.
Officers told Wilson to drop the gun, which he did, but he continued to flee while removing his body armor, according to the release. When officers caught Wilson, they found two magazines fully loaded with 9mm ammunition. Officers also recovered his body armor, which contained 14 more rounds of 9mm ammunition.
The attorney’s office said Wilson admitted ownership of the vest.
Officers also found a Taurus .45 caliber handgun in the vehicle, and recovered the Smith and Wesson 9mm handgun that Wilson had dropped during the pursuit. Both firearms were loaded, and the investigation revealed the 9mm handgun had been reported stolen, the release states.
Wilson has prior convictions for fleeing as well as numerous convictions for possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute and multiple firearms convictions.
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the West Memphis Police Department, according to the release.