ST. LOUIS — A food delivery driver was carjacked early Sunday morning in north St. Louis by a group of teenagers, St. Louis police said.
Around midnight on October 20, officers responded to a carjacking in the 1100 block of N. 20th Street.
A man was delivering for a food service when two men robbed him of his white 2012 Cadillac in Carr Square, police originally said. One of them was armed with a rifle.
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It's a shocking story to Lesly Campos, who was watching soccer Sunday at a park on that same block.
"Especially since it always seems like a lot of people are walking around, being around this area," Campos said. "Obviously, the tournaments that they have here. To me, it's surprising. My car is actually parked over here. What if it happened right now and nobody would know? Everybody is distracted."
At about 1 a.m. Sunday, officers saw the Cadillac on Riverview Boulevard near West Florissant Avenue. They pursued the vehicle after the driver refused to stop. Officers then deployed spike strips to deflate multiple tires.
Near O'Fallon Park, it was four teenagers who ran from the Cadillac. Three 15-year-old boys and one 13-year-old boy were inside the car, police said, along with an airsoft rifle and property from the food delivery driver. All four teens were taken into custody by officers after they were pursued on foot.
Precious Jones, founder of Breaking Generational Poverty, is asking for more resources for young people to help fight crime in St. Louis.
"There is a plethora of buildings that is not being utilized in St. Louis city and St. Louis County," Jones said. "I'm wondering how would we go about utilizing those buildings, turning them into recreational places for youth with something positive to do."
Jones pointed out the role video games can play in incidents like this.
"Video games that promote carjackings and shootings such as 'Grand Theft Auto' or 'Call of Duty,' they're trying to live out these games, and these games are glorified," Jones said. "The things you see happening on the games are the things you're seeing happen in real life."
For Jones, the difference is: "The game is a game. You can have a reset button. This is real life. There is no reset button."
St. Louis police were able to return the delivery driver's vehicle and the property inside.
All four teens were taken to the Juvenile Detention Center, where they were being held as of Sunday night. An investigation was ongoing.
Resources for crime victims
If you have been a victim of a crime or know someone who has been, 5 On Your Side has compiled a list of resources.
The Crime Victim Center of St. Louis has multiple programs to support victims of crime. Crime Victim Center’s programs range from direct services to crime victims as well as “creating awareness and change within the systems they encounter.”
Life Outside of Violence "helps those harmed by stabbing, gunshot or assault receive the treatment, support and resources they need to find alternatives to end the cycle of violence."
The Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis has the Neighborhood Healing Network, which serves people who have experienced crime, violence or been the victim of an incident that caused trauma.
The Bullet Related Injury Clinic (BRIC) is a community-based clinic in St. Louis that helps people heal after they have been injured by a bullet. The BRIC was established to help people who are discharged from the emergency department after being shot.