After a retrial, a teen at the center of a police pursuit that ended with police shooting him on the Centennial Bridge has pleaded guilty to assaulting a police officer with a dangerous weapon.
Michael Cross was 18 when he led police on a pursuit after someone in his vehicle fired a gun into a crowd at the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds on August 7, 2011.
The pursuit ended on the Centennial Bridge. When Cross tried to hit police cars and officers with his vehicle, Davenport police officers shot him, hitting him three times. None of his passengers were shot, and the officers were cleared of any wrongdoing.
A jury found Cross guilty December 14, 2011 of assault on a police officer with a dangerous weapon and possession of marijuana.
Scott County Attorney Mike Walton said the Iowa Court of Appeals reversed the conviction and remanded the case for retrial.
Walton said Cross entered a guilty plea Monday, June 17, 2013 to the charge of assault on a police officer. Walton said there was no plea agreement or concessions in connection with the plea.
Judge Gary McKenrick sentenced Cross to five years in jail.
Video of the pursuit and shooting was captured by police dash camera and can be viewed in the player below. WARNING – the video may be too graphic for some viewers.
