Man carjacked at gunpoint while warming up his vehicle; police arrest 5 after chase
Police have arrested five men in connection to carjacking during which a man was held at gunpoint Sunday morning in East St. Louis.
Officers were called to the 2100 block of Kansas Avenue at 1:16 a.m. Sunday, according to East St. Louis Detective Ronald McClellan, the lead investigator on the case. The man who was held at gunpoint was not injured.
The man told investigators he was visiting a friend and as he was preparing to leave he went out to warm up his 2017 Dodge Durango.
He went back inside the house as the vehicle warmed up, according to McClellan, and then went outside to leave. He told officers that five or 10 minutes later a black car drove up and a man with a gun robbed him, taking his watch, keys and $500.
The suspect then drove off in his Dodge Durango towards Missouri Avenue.
Following that incident, at about 9 p.m., McClellan said St. Louis police spotted the stolen vehicle in St. Louis. They pursued the vehicle across the Eads Bridge where it crashed at Front Street and River Park Drive, McClellan said.
Officers arrested several people who were inside the stolen vehicle and say they recovered to guns.
East St. Louis police and Illinois State Police assisted in making the arrests, McClellan said.
Additional information about the suspects’ identification or possible charges have not been released.
This story was originally published January 14, 2019 at 1:01 PM.
