A Jefferson City man and a Columbia man are facing multiple charges after reportedly being involved in a chase with authorities early Wednesday morning in Jefferson City.
Dylan Seidel-Buechter, 19, of Jefferson City, and Courtney Brown Jr., 19, of Columbia, are charged with felony counts of unlawful use of a weapon, first-degree assault, armed criminal action and resisting arrest.
Officers were patrolling on foot near the 1100 block of East Miller Street in an area where the Jefferson City Police Department has been investigating several recent shooting incidents, according to JCPD probable cause statements.
Officers reported hearing several gunshots and saw a vehicle drive out of the area at a high speed.
Officers tried to stop the vehicle, but it failed to yield and a pursuit ensued. At times the chase reached speeds of more than 100 mph on city streets, and the vehicle was reportedly seen driving through red lights and going the wrong way on one-way streets. The vehicle eventually stopped on Wildwood Drive, where multiple people fled from the vehicle.
One of those who fled was Seidel-Buechter, who was taken into custody after a short foot pursuit. Investigators said they later determined he was the driver and found him to be in possession of three cellphones. One of the phones was traced to Brown. Officers also reported finding a pair of shoes near the vehicle, which also were reportedly traced to Brown.
At the scene of the shooting on East Miller Street, investigators reported finding 10 spent shell casings. Two of the rounds entered through a bedroom window, passing over a mattress, occupied by three children. The children, officers said, were playing video games while seated on the mattress. The rounds embedded in the wall and destroyed a dresser and the gaming system.
When questioned, Seidel-Buechter reportedly confessed to arriving at the crime scene with his "homeboy," and he believed they were going to purchase narcotics to get high. He said he parked in an alley to the rear of the residence in question on East Miller. Seidel-Buechter said he stayed in the vehicle while the occupants got out. He said he heard gunshots and his passengers ran back to the vehicle, got inside, and told him to, "go, go, go."
Seidel-Buechter reportedly told investigators he was "not going to snitch" and refused to identify who was with him in the vehicle.
After interviewing Seidel-Buechter, authorities received a call that a shoeless man was standing near the Eagle Stop convenience store on Missouri Boulevard, not far from where the chase had ended. Officers went to the store and reportedly found Brown, saying his clothes were soiled by moisture as if he had just come out of a wooded area.
Brown was taken to the police station and, when questioned, denied knowing Seidel- Buechter, although authorities said Brown's phone had been found to be in the possession of Seidel-Buechter. Brown claimed he got kicked out of his girlfriend's house on Clark Avenue and walked across town to the Wildwood area where he was trying to get a ride home.