ST. LOUIS — A business owner was hospitalized and another man was taken into custody after a shooting in Soulard late Wednesday night.
It happened just after 11:30 p.m. at Molly's In Soulard, a bar near the intersection of Geyer Avenue and Ninth Street.
St. Louis police said a fight broke out inside the bar as two people were kicked out for allegedly stealing a watch and cell phone. The bar's owner approached the men and asked them to return the items, according to a police report.
One of the men hit the owner in the head before security calmed the man down; minutes later, the man went to his car and grabbed a gun, then returned and shot the owner in the leg.
The bar's owner was struck twice but is expected to recover.
Officers arrested one man on the scene and the other ran away.
The man who was arrested, 28-year-old Anthony Caudillo, was charged with first-degree assault, third-degree assault, felony stealing second-degree property damage, unlawful use of a weapon and armed criminal action. He was ordered to be held without bond.
“That’s a bad thing. Lots of people around here are talking about what happened around the corner at Molly’s,“ said a concerned Denny Hammerstone.
In March, burglars were caught on video breaking into his restaurant in Soulard.
“They grabbed our cash register drawers. You know there’s nothing in them at night. It’s just terrible because you get violated,” Hammerstone said.
“A lot of teenagers who don’t live in Soulard are coming here and committing all kinds of crimes. I wish they’d grow up because they’re doing stupid stuff,” added Hammerstone.
“I think what everybody thinks, and that is it’s horrible, I’m scared and I’m sad,” said LaSalle Park resident Irene Allen, who was visiting a Soulard park on Thursday.
Allen is also fed up with the citywide gun violence.
“In the midst of all the violence, I have seen an actual community cropping up. I think if we can just build on that community and hang on to that community," Allen added.
Records show three people have been shot in Soulard so far this year. This is also the second incident involving gunfire in Soulard in less than a week.
St. Louis police are investigating a shootout that was caught on camera Tuesday evening. Multiple gunshots rang out just after 6 p.m. Tuesday while it was still daylight outside.
One woman captured the crime as she looked out her window near South 7th Street and Russell Avenue. Police found numerous shell casings blocks away at South 9th Street and Anne Avenue.
Police are trying to figure out what caused people to fire shots from two different cars throughout Soulard. Neighbors said they saw one car chasing another after the first set of gunshots, followed by another round. No one was physically injured, police said.