BRIDGETON, Mo. — Tragedy struck Bridgeton, Missouri, over the weekend as a 15-year-old boy from the metro-east lost his life during a chaotic and dangerous car show event. The Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis held a news conference at City Hall Thursday morning.
Law enforcement officials and other investigators have a strong message about a new dangerous trend on our streets.
Street takeovers with car stunts are against the law and on the rise. And it led to the death of a teen over the weekend.
On the evening of May 18, Bridgeton police responded to reports of about 100 vehicles driving recklessly near Earth City Expressway and Corporate Woods Trail. The gathering quickly turned violent, as 15-year-old Gerardo Perez, an East St. Louis resident, was shot to death. At least four others were also shot in the chaos.
Authorities have charged two St. Louis teens with murder and several other offenses in connection with Perez's death.
“We were able to apprehend the suspects and move to a significant step closer to ensuring justice for the victims and their families. I wanted to express deep gratitude to every member of this team," said Mossotti.
Mossotti commended the efforts of the police officers and detectives involved in the investigation. He said the rising trend of car shows taking over streets is sparking violence.
“It's careless, and imprudent. And it's a danger to the community... There's a variety of different types of cars. Most commonly we're seeing are Dodge Chargers, Challengers, high performance vehicles, that you know they they do those burnouts and spin in circles and just dangerous behavior," Mossotti said.
The investigation remains active, and officials are urging anyone with information to come forward. The Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis announced Thursday evening that it had turned the investigation over to the Bridgeton Police Department.
Any person with information is asked to contact Bridgeton police at 314-739-7557.
If you have information and wish to remain anonymous, call 1-866-371-TIPS (8477). You could be eligible for a CrimeStoppers reward of up to $5,000.
The I-Team wants to hear from you. Leave a voice message on 314-444-5231 or email Paula directly at pvasan@ksdk.com.