Two nabbed, three guns found after men flee MetroLink stop

Three St. Clair County deputies pursued and arrested two armed men late Tuesday night after receiving a call of trespassing at a MetroLink Station in East St. Louis.

Investigator Scott Toth of the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office said a call came in at around 11:45 p.m. Tuesday at a MetroLink near Casino Queen in reference to two men trespassing on the railroad tracks. Toth said the responding officers, identified as Sgt. Brian Cregger, Deputy Scot Pirtle and Deputy Jeremy Coppotelli, found two men near the tracks when they got to the scene.

The sheriff’s office said the officers identified themselves to the men, who then reached for their waistband “as if they were grabbing for what deputies believed to be a gun,” Toth said.

Toth said the police report did not indicate whether the officers pulled out their weapons.

Both men allegedly ran from the scene, leading police on a short foot pursuit. The sheriff’s office said both men were arrested about one block away and that three firearms were recovered from the suspects.

No injuries were reported.

The suspects, who were not identified by authorities, were taken to the St. Clair County Jail pending formal charges with the St. Clair County State’s Attorney’s Office.

“Although these unfortunate events happen today in our society, the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department wants the public to know our Metro deputies work extremely hard and face danger every day to keep the citizens safe on our public transportation,” the sheriff’s office wrote in a news release.

This story was originally published August 3, 2016 at 2:27 PM with the headline "Two nabbed, three guns found after men flee MetroLink stop."