DES MOINES, Iowa — A Des Moines man faces felony charges after police say he illegally possessed a firearm, and stole and crashed a car on Friday.
On Friday, Des Moines Police responded to East 14th Street and Des Moines Street to investigate reports of a three-car crash with an injury around 1:30 p.m. Once on the scene, officers discovered that one of the vehicles involved in the crash had been reported stolen.
Witnesses told authorities that the driver of the stolen westbound vehicle failed to yield the right of way at the intersection and crashed into a southbound passenger car, and then an eastbound truck. The passenger in the stolen vehicle was injured and transported to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
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Witnesses reported that immediately after the crash the driver of the stolen vehicle ran from the scene and appeared to be carrying a firearm. Immediate efforts by officers to locate the fleeing driver were not successful.
On Saturday, police announced that 18-year-old Marco Decarlo Hayes had been arrested in connection with the incident and charged with:
- 1st Degree Theft – Class C Felony
- Felon in Possession of a Firearm – Class D Felony
- Leaving The Scene Of A Crash Causing Injury – Serious Misdemeanor
Police say during the search for Hayes a detective spotted him getting into a waiting vehicle in the neighborhood east of the crash. Authorities followed the vehicle, which was discovered to be an Uber, and were able to stop the vehicle…