St. Louis Felon Caught with Gun in Stolen Car Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison

ST. LOUIS - U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Thursday sentenced a convicted felon who was caught with a gun in a stolen car after ramming a police cruiser to 12 years in prison.

On Aug. 1, 2023, detectives with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department spotted a minivan at a gas station in the 1600 block of South Jefferson Avenue that had been stolen earlier that day. Rodney Patterson was alone in the passenger seat of the vehicle, which was running. Instead of turning off the vehicle, Patterson tried to drive away, striking a police cruiser. He then tried to flee on foot but was arrested. Police found a Ruger LC Charger handgun on the front passenger seat. Patterson is a convicted felon and is thus barred from possessing a firearm.

Patterson, 49, pleaded guilty in February to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Finlen prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.