Po-po in St. Charles, Missouri (just outside of St. Louis) say a 26-year-old man on a violent crime spree was shot & killed by an armed Good Samaritan.
The suspect was shot as he held a knife to a store clerk’s neck.
Police say the crime spree began around 3 a.m. Saturday morning with an armed robbery at Mobile On The Run located at 1401 S. Fifth Street. The suspect held a knife to the 43-year-old female clerk’s throat while she opened the cash register. The suspect then pushed her to the floor, stole the money from the register, and then dragged her to the back of the store asking where the safe was.
The clerk wasn’t able to access the safe and the suspect dragged her back to the front counter where she opened a second register in attempt to stop the assault on her. After going through the second register the suspect fled the store in a black SUV. The clerk suffered lacerations from the knife to her left wrist, right hand, and neck. She was taken to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
While police officers were on the way to that armed robbery at the Mobile On The Run, a call for an alarm sounding at Mid-Town Phillips 66 located at 524 First Capitol came in around 3:15 a.m. When officers arrived, they found broken glass indicating a burglary had just taken place.
As officers were investigating that burglary, another report of an armed robbery came in just a few minutes later, at 3:20 a.m. at the QuikTrip located at 2260 First Capitol. There was a report of shots fired. When officers arrived, they found the suspect had been shot by a citizen during the armed robbery. The suspect was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The witness who shot the suspect told police the had stopped at QuikTrip, used the restroom and made a purchase. The witness was walking back to his vehicle parked in front of the store when he saw a black SUV drive into the parking lot abruptly and stop directly in front of the door without pulling into a parking space.
The witness saw the suspect who was carrying a backpack run into the QuikTrip and turn toward the coffee pot area where the 26-year-old female clerk was standing. The suspect dragged the clerk toward the front counter while she was screaming. The witness saw the suspect holding a knife to her throat.
The witness retrieved his 9mm handgun, entered the store and confronted the suspect. The suspect grabbed his backpack and told the witness, “I have something for you.” The suspect then came from around the counter and approached the witness who then fired several times at the suspect. The suspect fell to the floor. The witness and clerk were not harmed, and both called 911.