Man charged with multiple armed robberies, led police on chase

A local man faces multiple felony charges alleging that he has robbed several people at gunpoint in Madison County and is suspected in other felony crimes.

Ryan L. Eastling, 28, is accused of robbing a man at 1:40 a.m. on June 14. The man had arrived home in Granite City and was sitting in his car when he was robbed, according to the state’s attorney’s office. There were two more armed robberies in the same area within 90 minutes, all of the victims were sitting in their cars. Witnesses described a brown Suburban, which was seen on Washington Avenue and had been reported stolen during a St. Louis carjacking.

Police attempted to pull it over, and the driver attempted to flee, eventually crashing into a building in Madison. Police believe the driver was Eastling, who fled the scene. Eastling later showed up in a St. Louis hospital for treatment of multiple injuries, which they believe were sustained during the robberies. It is believed he used a .45 Haskel handgun in the robberies.

“We are fortunate that no one was seriously injured during this man’s crime spree,” said Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Gibbons. “We need our citizens to feel safe in their homes as well as their vehicles.”

Eastling’s bail was set at $150,000 for each of the three armed robbery charges by Madison County Associate Judge Neil Schroeder. He currently has no known address. The maximum penalty on these charges is six to 30 years in prison. Police believe further charges are pending in St. Louis.

This story was originally published July 15, 2015 at 3:08 PM with the headline "Man charged with multiple armed robberies, led police on chase."