18-year-old man charged in carjacking at store parking lot in Fairview Heights

An 18-year-old man has been charged with stealing a car at gunpoint in a store parking lot early Thursday in Fairview Heights.

Karon C. English of Frey Lane, Fairview Heights, is charged with armed violence, aggravated vehicular hijacking and unlawful possession of a stolen motor vehicle, all felonies, according to a release posted on the Fairview Heights Police Department Facebook page. English is being held in the St. Clair County Jail. Bond was set at $250,000.

A second suspect, a juvenile, also was arrested. Details are being withheld because he is a juvenile, police said.

The carjacking happened about 1:45 a.m. Thursday in the parking lot of High Life at 122 Lincoln Ave., the release stated. Someone reported that two males stole his 2011 Chevrolet Malibu. “The victims were sitting inside the vehicle in the parking lot of the business when they were approached by the suspects, who demanded the keys to the vehicle while pointing a gun at them,” the release states.

Fairview Heights Police and the Metro East Auto Theft Task Force identified suspects in the case and on Friday at 12:30 p.m., “several suspects were apprehended and a firearm was recovered,” the release states.

The stolen car also was recovered, the release states.

This story was originally published June 19, 2023 at 2:25 PM.