District Attorney Bubba Bramlett announced today that Jonathan Santino Gray, 30, of Jackson pled guilty to three counts of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, felony evasion, motor vehicle theft, and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. He was sentenced to serve thirty-five years in the custody of MDOC.
On September 28, 2022, Jonathan Gray stole a work vehicle from a contractor working on a home in Silverleaf Subdivision. Officers quickly located the vehicle in the city of Madison and attempted to stop the Defendant. He refused to stop – going over 90 MPH as he drove south on Highland Colony Parkway until he entered the city of Ridgeland. He rammed several officers vehicles in attempts to further elude police. As Gray changed directions and headed towards Ridgeland High School, officers made the decision to disable the vehicle before he could reach the school. Officers with the US Marshall Service were able to both disable the vehicle and take Gray into custody. Officers found a 9 mm handgun located in Gray’s possession after he was taken into custody. Gray had been previously convicted out of Hinds County for the charge of Armed Robbery in 2014. A Madison County grand jury indicted Gray on several charges including three counts of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer by use of a deadly weapon.
District Attorney Bubba Bramlett stated, “When someone uses a vehicle to intentionally hit officers – whether they are in the cruisers or not – that is an aggravated assault by use of a deadly weapon. It is a miracle that no one was injured in this matter and that officers were able to stop the evasion before it got any closer to the high school.”
Bramlett continued, “Officers from the Sheriff’s Department, Madison PD, Ridgeland PD, and the US Marshalls Task Force were all involved in the capture of this dangerous man. Jonathan Gray had absolutely zero regard for anyone else as he sped down Highland Colony during the middle of the work day. He drove into oncoming traffic and caused property damage to both local business owners and the police departments’ vehicle. Let this case be a warning to anyone thinking of running through Madison or Rankin Counties and using your vehicle as a weapon against our officers. We will not take that lightly and you will face serious prison time for your actions.”
