ST. LOUIS — A man picking up his child from his former girlfriend’s home Sunday evening told police he was provoked, robbed at gunpoint, and struck multiple times by the mother of his child.
The victim, a 30-year-old man, told police that he and his 26-year-old ex-girlfriend began to argue with one another when he arrived at her home in the Carondelet neighborhood.
The woman began taking the victim’s belongings from inside his car and tossing them on the ground to provoke him into a physical altercation, the victim told police.
Trying to avoid the confrontation, the victim said he got into his car to leave, but the woman followed him into the vehicle and struck him in the face from behind.
He then got out of the car in another attempt to avoid her. He told police that’s when the former girlfriend pulled out a gun and demanded his hoodie.
With the wind chill, temperatures felt like -10° that day, but he handed the hoodie over and escaped, he told police. He said she then opened fire and hit his car’s rear, driver-side tire.
He told police he went home, but she was already there waiting for him with the gun. He said he was able to disarm her before she drove away in a Toyota Sedan.
Police said the victim had a cut on his lip and a swollen jaw but refused an ambulance.
The incident was under investigation. Police had not announced criminal charges as of Tuesday.
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.
