Man arrested after crash into Ox Cart Ale House pleads guilty to gun charge

One of the people arrested after a stolen vehicle crashed into a St. Paul restaurant last year has pleaded guilty to a federal gun charge.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office says 19-year-old Moeshea Isiah Hart entered the plea to one count of possession of a machine gun on Wednesday. His sentencing will be scheduled at a later time.

St. Paul police were called to the area of Luella Street North and Wilson Avenue on the afternoon of Feb. 15, 2023, after people reported hearing automatic gunfire coming from a black Jeep that was apparently chasing another Jeep.

Officers saw a black Jeep that had apparent gunfire damage to its rear window a few blocks away and started following it. According to police, the driver of the Jeep refused to pull over and led them on a chase that reached speeds up to 90 mph at times onto Interstate 94.

However, when it started going downtown, officers stopped pursuing it.

Video provided to 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS by a viewer shows that the Jeep continued fleeing and ultimately hit a vehicle at Sixth Street East and Wall Street before veering into Ox Cart Ale House. Fortunately, the restaurant was unoccupied at the time and no injuries were reported.

Officers arrested Hart and two others and also found a loaded Glock pistol with an attached switch and high-capacity magazine next to the Jeep. The U.S. Attorney’s Office adds that 11 discharged cartridge casings were later found in and around the driver’s area of the Jeep, which had been stolen months earlier.