St. Louis men charged in two-state crime spree

ST. LOUIS -- Two St. Louis men went on a robbery rampage, then led officers on a dangerous chase in two states, police said Wednesday. Gary May, 19, and Kellen Stapleton, 24, both are accused of two counts of first-degree robbery, three counts of attempted robbery, three counts of assault of a law enforcement officer, one count of felony fleeing and one count of tampering. May also faces one count of possessing drug paraphernalia. The incidents all happened Monday morning.

Police gave this account: At 7:40 a.m., May and Stapleton, in a stolen Plymouth Neon, pulled alongside a 37-year-old woman at an intersection in St. Louis. One of the men pointed a gun and told her to get out of her car. She put the car in reverse and called police as she was able to get away. Ten minutes later and a few blocks away, two women were robbed by the men.

At 8 a.m., the suspects demanded money from a 55-year-old man at another St. Louis location. They drove away when the victim said he didn't have any money.

Fifteen minutes later, an 80-year-old woman was robbed by the men in front of a home. Her purse, $70 and credit cards were stolen.

At 9:05 a.m., police saw the Neon and began a pursuit that crossed into Illinois. At one point, the passenger in the Neon pointed a gun at an officer.

The pursuit then came back into St. Louis, where the Neon collided with a police car, then drove away. Police eventually forced the Neon to the curb, but the driver put the car in reverse and rammed three more police vehicles.

Officers were eventually able to pin in the Neon. The men ran but were captured after a short foot pursuit.