Three charged in armed robbery aboard St. Clair County MetroLink line

Three people were charged in St. Clair County in connection to an alleged armed robbery aboard a Metrolink train Thursday.

Angelo D. Farmer, 23; Demetrius L. Alfred, 26; and Shray S. Allen, 18, were each charged with nine felony counts, according to a news release from the sheriff’s department. All three are from Missouri; Farmer and Alfred are from St. Louis, while Allen is from Bellfountain.

St. Clair County court records shows the following charges:

• Farmer was charged with three counts of armed robbery / no firearm (Class X), three counts of aggravated battery / public place (Class 3) and three counts of mob action with two or more persons, using force (Class 4).
• Alfred faces three counts of robbery where the victim is handicapped or 60 years or older (Class 1), three counts of aggregated battery being in a public place (Class 3), and three counts of mob action with two or more persons, using force (Class 4)
• Allen was charged with three counts of robbery where the victim is handicapped or 60 years or older (Class 1), three counts of aggregated battery being in a public place (Class 3), and three counts of mob action with two or more persons, using force (Class 4)

The robbery was reported through a 911 call at around 7:50 p.m., Dec. 4, the news release says. Sgt. Gary Brewer, the public information officer with the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department, said the incident took place on an eastbound train between Washington Park and Fairview Heights.

Deputies met the victim, a 37-year-old male, at the Fairview Heights Metrolink station, where he told them he was physically assaulted by two male suspects and a female suspect, and that they had stolen several items from him. The man sustained non-life threatening injuries and was treated at a local hospital, the release says.

Descriptions of the suspects were disseminated to law enforcement agencies and MetroLink safety personnel, and Metrolink security cameras also helped locate the suspects.

“These suspects were apprehended without delay due to Metro Public Safety’s unwavering commitment to providing real-time camera monitoring, local dispatch capabilities and the deployment of additional officers to board trains and station on platforms throughout the region,” the release says.

“We will continue to collaborate with Metro Public Safety to review our practices and ensure that our transit system remains a safe and reliable option for commuters traveling to and from their destinations.”

Brewer said the suspects exited the train at the Memorial Hospital Metrolink Station in Belleville. Sheriff’s deputies and Belleville Police officers detained them without incident.

Witnesses assisted the sheriff’s department in gathering evidence against the suspects, who remained held at the county jail Tuesday.