KC man pleads guilty to possessing gun as felon after 2017 hit-and-run, police chase

A 48-year-old Kansas City man involved in a hit-and-run crash and a police chase last year pleaded guilty Friday to illegally possessing a gun, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri said in a news release.

James C. Coleman was charged in federal court with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The charge was filed after Coleman was involved in a crash Oct. 4, 2017, at East 67th Street and College Avenue in Kansas City. The victim told police that a Volkswagen station wagon had run a stop sign, hit his vehicle and left the scene, court records said.

Police located the Volkswagen, driven by Coleman, and tried to initiate a traffic stop, but the vehicle fled, court records said. A police pursuit continued until the Volkswagen struck a utility pole and crashed into another car in the 6800 block of Bales Avenue.

Police saw a pistol inside Coleman’s overturned vehicle as well as bags of cocaine. Coleman was detained at the scene and taken to a hospital for his injuries from the wreck.

Prosecutors noted Coleman has three prior felony convictions for drug trafficking and a prior felony conviction for stealing, prohibiting him from keeping a firearm.

Coleman faces a sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison for illegally possessing a firearm.

A sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled.