Driver chased from North St. Louis into Granite City, flees on foot amid hail of gunfire

Five people have been charged with attempted murder after the driver of a car said he was followed from North St. Louis to Granite City, then fired upon multiple times earlier this month.

On the morning of July 5, the driver of a vehicle, who was not identified, said he was in St. Louis at a gas station off Interstate 70. The victim told police that when he began to head home to Granite City, he noticed he was being followed by several vehicles, according to a news release.

The victim accelerated to try to flee from the vehicles and was chased all the way into Granite City. The victim lost control of the vehicle and crashed. The victim then ran away, while shots were fired, police said.

The victim’s vehicle was hit numerous times by the gunfire but the victim escaped the scene without injury, police said.

Charged were Steven L. Carson, 32, Janautica F. Jackson, 23, Michael C. Smith, 28, Anthony L. Stewart Jr., 21, and Donnell L. Robinson, 35, all of St. Louis. They were charged with attempted murder and three counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm for allegedly chasing after another vehicle and firing at the car, according to a news release.

All five suspects are in custody awaiting extradition to Illinois, police said. Their bonds have been set at $1.5 million.

Granite City Police were able to identify suspects with the help of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the U.S. Marshal’s Service, and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.

This story was originally published July 26, 2019 at 3:27 PM.