Motorist who fled St. Louis County police charged with murder in 2022 crash (2024)

ST. LOUIS — A driver was charged this week with murder after authorities say he fled St. Louis County police in 2022 and ran a red light, killing an innocent motorist.

Marc Gardner, 28, was jailed without bond Thursday on charges of second-degree murder, resisting arrest and armed criminal action.

St. Louis prosecutors charged Gardner on Tuesday, the same day a SWAT team served a search warrant at his home in the Holly Hills neighborhood of south St. Louis.

The crash on May 4, 2022, was at River City Casino Boulevard and South Broadway. The innocent motorist who died was Derek Pratt.

St. Louis County police had tried to stop Gardner's car as part of a drug investigation on the parking lot of the River City Casino.

Gardner's Hyundai Sonata ran a red light at the intersection and hit Pratt's Dodge Ram pickup. Pratt had the green light and was lawfully going through the intersection when he was struck by Gardner's fleeing vehicle, police said.

Pratt's pickup was hit with such force that it went airborne and rolled side over side while fully off the ground.

Pratt, 44, was thrown from the vehicle and died at the scene. He was the father of three adult children. He was a union painter working for Jos. Ward Painting Co.

Gardner was trapped in his vehicle after the wreck and was hospitalized with critical injuries. Records didn't explain why the case took took two years to culminate in charges. A passenger in the Sonata was also injured.

County police claimed it wasn't a pursuit.

At the time, County police Sgt. Tracy Panus told the Post-Dispatch: “When the vehicle failed to stop, our officers immediately ceased all efforts to stop the vehicle. There was no pursuit.”

Even though county police said there was no police pursuit, the St. Louis city detective obtaining murder warrants in the case this week called it a pursuit.

St. Louis police Detective Tracey Chaney wrote in court papers, "St. Louis County police tactically pursued Defendant as he resisted the stop. The pursuit went into St. Louis City."

Pratt's widow, Kelly Pratt, filed suit in 2022 against two county police officers as well as members of the county's police board.

Adam Altman, one of attorneys who filed the suit, has said they chose to name the members of the board because the board is responsible for handing down policy and direction to officers.

Thesuit claimedthe officers initiated a high-speed police pursuit beginning in the River City Casino parking lot and they should have known soon after that the Hyundai was headed into an intersection. By continuing the chase, the suit stated, they created a dangerous situation.

Court records show the suit was dismissed in January 2023. Altman on Thursday said he might refile the suit before the deadline runs out next May.

Altman said Pratt's family was disappointed Gardner wasn't charged earlier. "This has just delayed (justice) longer than it should have been," Altman said. "St. Louis is big but it's not that big when you're looking for a killer."

Altman said Gardner left a rehabilitation facility weeks after the crash.

On Tuesday, SWAT officers served a search warrant at Gardner's home in the 5400 block of Dewey Avenue. Police arrested Gardner inside the home and found drugs and two 9mm handguns, police said.

In addition to murder and resisting arrest, St. Louis prosecutors charged Gardner with two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm, based on what police said they found at his home Tuesday. Gardner is a felon and has convictions for domestic assault, drug possession and unlawful use of a weapon.

A judge ordered Gardner be held without bail, and his bond hearing is set for next week.