ST. LOUIS – Three men are behind bars as St. Louis police investigate their suspected ties to criminal street gang operation.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department says the arrests are connected with an investigation into a reported car theft on Aug. 23 in the 5800 block of Ferris Street.
Police informed FOX 2 of the arrests after a report Wednesday morning from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The report informs of a doorbell camera video recording that shows an officer detaining a suspect at gunpoint. It also mentions that family members of the detained suspect are questioning the officer’s actions.
Mitch McCoy, the Director of SLMPD’s Public Affairs and Information Division, said in an email to FOX 2 that the officers on the video are from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. He adds that officers were “conducting an investigation into known car thieves” and that “the investigation ended” on Aug. 23 in the 5800 block of Ferris Street.
While police did not comment further on the video, the department offered additional details into the Aug. 23 investigation. SMLPD reports that Demonta Robinson, 20; Kaveon Harvey, 24; and Lavon Harvey, 20, were all taken into custody.
SLMPD says the real-time crime center alerted officers to the 5800 block of Ferris on Aug. 23 over a report of a stolen Cadillac CTS. Officers observed several people exiting the suspected vehicle and enter the home before briefly driving away and returning to the home.
Investigators say that Robinson spotted officer and made an illegal U-turn in an attempt to avoid them. Police then used spike strips to stop the car near the home. Authorities say Robinson was found in possession of a gun that was later determined to be stolen.
The St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office has since issued a charge of resisting arrest against Robinson, who could face additional charges.
After that, police say Kaveon Harvey was arrested on a fugitive warrant and was seen carrying a gun without a valid license.
Then, police say Lavon Harvey was previously arrested on a fugitive warrant, but released when “the issuing jurisdiction would not confirm extradition.” SLMPD reports that Lavon was booked back into custody Wednesday afternoon, allegedly after violating terms of probation from an unrelated burglary case.
Police recovered two stolen guns and one vehicle amid the arrests.
SLMPD says the three arrests are part of a larger, ongoing investigation into car thefts and gang-related activities in the City of St. Louis and the surrounding region. The department says it has been investigating and arresting members of a criminal street gang for more than a year.
