O'FALLON, Mo. — An O'Fallon, Missouri homeowner was seriously injured early Friday morning in an armed home invasion.
According to the O'Fallon Police Department, officers responded to a report of a stolen vehicle at about 1 a.m. Friday in the area of the Winghaven subdivision after it passed by a license plate reader.
Police investigation revealed several suspects in a gray Hyundai stolen out of St. Louis committed a home invasion on Hawksbury Place. They were armed, broke into a back door, struck the homeowner in the head and demanded money, keys and a vehicle. They fired a gunshot, which went through a wall barely missing a little girl, before leaving with the stolen Hyundai and the homeowner's vehicle.
The homeowner was left with a black eye and a deep gash on his nose, and at the scene, police recovered a gun stolen out of Florissant.
The homeowner's daughter heard the commotion outside of her bedroom, locked the door, and called for help using Alexa.
Upon locating the stolen vehicles, O'Fallon police initiated two pursuits. During the first, the Hyundai rolled over into a parking lot of a shopping strip mall in Ladue, and one suspect was taken into custody. The second ended in a crash off Highway 94, and two suspects were taken into custody. A fourth suspect was later taken into custody by a local agency.
O'Fallon police confirmed Friday afternoon that all five suspects were in custody.
The St. Charles County Prosecuting Attorney's Office charged one of the suspects as of Friday evening, according to an O'Fallon Missouri Police Department's Facebook post.
Hakizimana Claude was charged with one count of each first-degree burglary, first-degree robbery, first-degree assault and armed criminal action. He is being held on a $2 million bond.
At this time it's believed that the incident was random.
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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.
Better Family Life is a nonprofit community development organization working to "stabilize inner-city neighborhoods." One aspect of its mission is a gun violence de-escalation program.
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 an anti-crime program called “Safety Net for Youth Initiative,” which is a joint partnership with St. Louis Public Schools to provide services to at-risk youth.
Cure Violence is an international organization that has recently launched in a handful of St. Louis neighborhoods. Violence interrupters are trained to de-escalate violent situations within their own communities.