ST. LOUIS – St. Louis City saw a surge in violent crime over the weekend, with several carjackings, shootings, and robberies reported.
A couple near Soulard became the victims of a carjacking just after midnight on Sunday, Oct. 6. Police say a 46-year-old man was standing outside his Nissan Sentra on South 7th Street while his girlfriend was asleep inside the car.
Police say a white car pulled up, and two men got out. One of the suspects pulled a gun and shot the man before forcing his girlfriend out of the car. The suspects fled in the stolen Nissan, followed by the white vehicle. Thankfully, the man is expected to recover. Police later recovered the car near Second and Arsenal Streets shortly after the incident.
In another incident Saturday around 6:15 p.m., a 38-year-old woman was sitting in her parked truck at Newstead and St. Louis Ave. when police said a man she knew approached her vehicle. He held a knife to her neck, stole her gun, and demanded money. As the woman tried to drive away, the man allegedly fired shots at her truck. The woman was not injured.
About 12 hours prior to that crime, officers found a 33-year-old man who had been shot at an abandoned bus depot near 1st and Cass. The man was taken to the hospital and is expected to recover. Police are still investigating the circumstances of the shooting.
Just before 10 p.m. on Friday, a 26-year-old man was robbed not once but twice at the same gas station on North Grand and Natural Bridge Road. In the first incident, a man with a gun got into the victim’s car, hit him over the head, and took off with his keys.
About 30 minutes later, a different person forced the man out of his Chevy Equinox and drove away. As the victim tried to hold on to the car, a minivan pulled up, and someone inside began shooting at him. Police say the victim was not hit by the gunfire, but the suspects managed to get away with his vehicle.
A disturbance involving juveniles with guns ended with a 36-year-old man being shot on Thomas Street in the Jeff-Vander-Lou neighborhood on Friday night.
A woman told police the teens were breaking windows and banging on her door. Shortly after, she heard gunshots and discovered that the man had been shot outside. The woman and a relative of hers took him to the hospital. He was last listed in critical but stable condition. The victim’s Jeep, parked on the street, had several bullet holes in the passenger door.
These violent incidents come as St. Louis City has recorded at least 116 homicides so far this year, which is down from 125 at the same time last year.
Anyone with information on any of these crimes is urged to contact St. Louis Metropolitan Police or submit an anonymous tip to CrimeStoppers at 1-866-371-TIPS.
