LSD Standoff Suspect Charged; Faces Extradition To Georgia In Murder Case
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A man suspected of killing his wife in Georgia was facing extradition there, after he was charged with several felonies in connection with an 8 1/2-hour standoff with Chicago police on Lake Shore Drive this weekend.
Joseph Andrew Felton Jr., 44, was arrested Sunday night, nearly nine hours after he crashed on Lake Shore Drive near Fullerton Avenue, while fleeing from police. On Tuesday, he was charged with attempted first-degree murder, aggravated battery, and aggravated fleeing police, according to Chicago police. He also was being held on an out-of-state fugitive arrest warrant.
Chicago police said extradition process would begin once they get an official request from Henry County Police. Felton was denied bond in a court hearing Tuesday.
Police in Henry County, Georgia, had called local police in south suburban Harvey this weekend, to notify them about Felton, who was driving a vehicle with Illinois plates, and was wanted in the connection with the murder of his wife, Sheray Latriest Felton.
Felton's sisters called police when he showed up at their house this weekend. After police located him Sunday, he fled along I-57 and the Dan Ryan Expressway before heading north on Lake Shore Drive. He intentionally rammed several cars during the chase, and finally crashed near Fullerton at about 1 p.m. Sunday.
As police surrounded his car, Felton threatened to harm police and himself, so SWAT teams set up a perimeter and tried to talk him out of the car before finally taking him into custody around 9:30 p.m.
Henry County police said an autopsy has determined Sheray Felton died of blunt force trauma from "an offensive weapon" and lacerations from "an edged weapon." She was found dead on Saturday in their home in Hampton, Ga., about 30 miles south of Atlanta.
Henry County detectives were in Chicago on Tuesday to continue the investigation of her death, and Joseph Felton will face extradition to Georgia once he is charged in connection with the standoff in Chicago, Henry County police said.
"At this time we are building a case for prosecution and to maintain integrity, we will not discuss specifics of the investigation," they said in an email.
Chicago police officers and Illinois State Police troopers shot at Felton's car after he rammed another vehicle on Lake Shore Drive. Police said he appeared to be holding a handgun as he tried to get away.
Later, after ramming a police vehicle, he again appeared to be holding a handgun, and police shot at his vehicle again. Felton was not shot either time. However, he refused to exit his vehicle after it was disabled, prompting the 8 1/2-hour standoff.
Chicago Police Supt. Garry McCarthy defended his department's handling of the situation, saying the suspect told officers he had guns. He was in a vehicle with tinted windows, so police had to assume he was telling the truth.
"People were inconvenienced -- I apologize for that, but at the end of the day we did what we were supposed to do," McCarthy said.
Felton has been in and out of trouble for years.
The 2 Investigators found he spent more than a decade in the Stateville Correctional Center for an attempted murder case in 2000. He also served two stints for parole violations.
His sister, LaStella, told CBS 2's Mike Puccinelli in one case her brother cut a female victim from head to toe.
He also has a history of alleged abuse against his late wife. In Will County, in 2011 and 2013, she got emergency orders of protection against him, and in 2013 he was charged with domestic battery.
The criminal case and protection orders were dropped after Sheray Felton failed to show up in court.
Then, this year, after moving to Georgia, he was charged there with false imprisonment and simple battery of his wife. They were supposed to be in court last week, but Sheray Felton didn't show. She was found dead the next day.
Felton's other past arrests include another domestic battery, a battery and an aggravated battery.
His sister said on Saturday her brother showed up at another sibling's house several times, pounding on the door, but she was so scared she called police.