St. Clair County man shot by car owner, charged with attempted carjacking, police say

An arrest has been made and charges filed against a man who was shot as he allegedly attempted to steal a car in Caseyville.

Luke A. Prindable, 26, was charged Wednesday on counts of attempted aggravated vehicular hijacking with a weapon, attempted armed robbery and unlawful vehicular invasion, the St. Clair County State’s Attorney’s office said.

Prindable was already facing charges of possessing a stolen vehicle in relation to an incident in April and had been released during a pretrial detention hearing.

According to Caseyville Police, Prindable attempted to steal a car, but the vehicle’s occupant drew a weapon and fired shots, causing Prindable to flee. Working with the Metro East Auto Theft Task Force, police dispatched canine officers and drones in an unsuccessful attempt to locate the fleeing suspect.

Surveillance footage from neighboring businesses, however, led to Prindable’s identification, according to a police department release. Officers found Prindable at an unspecified local hotel, where they executed a search warrant.

While officers were taking Prindable into custody, they found that he had suffered a gunshot wound. He was taken to an area hospital for treatment.

According to St. Clair County Court records, Prindable has been released from police custody three times this year. In April, the day after being charged with felony possession of a stolen vehicle, Prindable was released after a pretrial detention hearing.

He was arrested again in May for failing to appear on his next scheduled court date, and released after being held for nine days in the St. Clair County Jail. Prindable again failed to appear for his court date and was arrested in September and released after another 46 days in custody.

The Pretrial Fairness Act was part of a broader criminal justice reform package known as the SAFE-T Act, which was passed in Illinois in 2021. After legal challenges backed by enforcement officials and state’s attorneys across Illinois the law went into effect in September of 2023.

At least one academic study, conducted by Center for Criminal Justice at Loyola University in Chicago, showed the law has had no immediate impact on Illinois jail populations or incidences of missed court dates.