Holly MatkinSt. Louis, MO –St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner’s office has refused to file charges against an armed suspect who allegedly tried to carjack a fully-marked St. Louis Metro Police Department (SLMPD) vehicle on Saturday morning.
The incident began at approximately 3 a.m. on March 19, when two SLMPD officers received a report of gunfire in the area of Seventh Street and Chouteau Avenue, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.
The officers were traveling eastbound down Chouteau Avenue near South Tucker Boulevard when a suspect suddenly walked out into the street in front of their patrol SUV, according to police.
The officers came to a stop just before the suspect made his way over to the passenger side and pointed a gun at them, investigators said.
“The officers were able to maneuver out of harm’s way while the suspect simultaneously discovered he was attempting to carjack a fully marked police car,” the SLMPD said, according to KTVI. “The suspect took off running.”
The officers immediately sent out an “officer-in-need-of-aid” alert, which brought additional officers rushing to the area, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.
Police ultimately apprehended the suspect, who was allegedly carrying a gun at the time of his arrest.
No one was injured during the initial incident or the apprehension of the 27-year-old suspect, according to police.
The SLMPD asked the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office to charge the gunman with armed criminal action, first-degree robbery, and resisting arrest, but prosecutors refused to file any charges against him, SLMPD spokesperson Evita Caldwell confirmed on Monday, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
The reason behind Gardner’s decision not to file charges was unknown.
St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office spokesperson Allison Hawk said the case remains under investigation, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.
The circuit attorney’s office refused to provide additional information about the charging decision, according to KSDK.
According to court records, the suspect is facing charges for multiple unrelated incidents in Jefferson County and St. Louis that allegedly occurred over the course of the past several years, to include first-degree property damage, violating an order of protection, and domestic assault.
