ST. LOUIS, MO  (July 8, 2026) — A St. Louis jury found Cornell Sparks, 46, guilty Wednesday of second-degree assault of a special victim, armed criminal action, and leaving the scene of an accident resulting in physical injury after he recklessly drove onto a sidewalk and struck a 67-year-old man in the city's Wells-Goodfellow neighborhood in August 2024.

On August 19, 2024, officers with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department responded to the 5900 block of Dr. Martin Luther King Drive, where a 67-year-old man had been struck by a vehicle. During the investigation, detectives recovered surveillance video showing Sparks driving more than 40 miles per hour on Dr. Martin Luther King Drive before crossing into the opposite lane of traffic, driving onto the sidewalk, and running over the victim. Sparks fled the scene without stopping. The victim suffered catastrophic injuries, including a fractured spine , brain bleeds, and severe lung injuries that required a ventilator. He was initially placed on life support.

“Driving with reckless disregard for human life puts every person on our streets at risk,” said Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore. “When reckless driving turns a vehicle into a weapon, that causes serious physical injury to unsuspecting pedestrians, our office will aggressively prosecute the case to the fullest extent of the law, as we did here.”

Sparks has prior convictions for voluntary manslaughter, third-degree assault, possession of a controlled substance, and unlawful possession of a firearm. The jury also found him to be a prior and persistent offender. Sentencing is scheduled for September 14, 2026.

Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore, Violent Crime Unit Supervisor Adam Field, and Assistant Circuit Attorney Andrew Costello prosecuted the case.

The defendant’s case number is 2422-CR02506-01.