ST. LOUIS – Two East St. Louis men indicted in December 2022 in connection with a Soulard carjacking have been accused of additional crimes.
Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri said Quinn Turner, 21, and Jaylen Mays, 25, appeared in court on Wednesday on a superseding indictment.
Turner pleaded not guilty to two counts of carjacking and two counts of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. Mays pleaded not guilty to three counts of carjacking, three counts of brandishing a firearm, and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Prosecutors claim Mays and others stole a 2015 Chevrolet Malibu on Nov. 5, 2022, while brandishing a weapon. Six days later, Mays and Turner stole a 2007 Malibu at gunpoint. Two days later, the pair stole a 2017 GMC Terrain in Soulard.
That last crime happened on Nov. 13, 2022, at the BP GasMart convenience store at the corner of Russell Boulevard and S. 7th Street.
Investigators with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department claim three men, two of whom were armed, pulled into the convenience store in a Nissan Rogue and a Chevrolet Malibu, which had been carjacked previously. The trio rushed the driver of the GMC Terrain, ordered him to the ground, and stole his wallet and keys. All three vehicles were driven from the scene.
St. Louis police used spike strips to stop the Malibu. Quinn, Mays, and juvenile were inside the Malibu, along with a .40 caliber pistol. The juvenile, who fit the description of one of the armed suspects, was in possession of the victim’s wallet.
If convicted, each count of carjacking and felon in possession carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. Each firearm charge carries a mandatory minimum of seven years imprisonment.