ST. LOUIS — Two masked men robbed a woman of her car at gunpoint while she was working as an Amazon delivery driver Saturday morning, police said.
Police said the robbery happened on West Pine Boulevard near Newstead Avenue in the city's Central West End neighborhood at around 6 a.m. Saturday.
According to the incident report from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the woman parked her 2017 Jeep Compass to deliver an Amazon package. When she returned to her car, two masked men approached her, pulled out guns and grabbed her keys out of her pocket.
She said the men then jumped into the car and sped away.
The victim told police her iPhone 13 and several undelivered Amazon packages were inside the stolen car.
5 On Your Side talked to one long-term resident in the Central West End on Sunday. Catherine Billups has lived in the Central West End for fourteen years.
"We moved to this area, I did, for safety. I thought," Billups said after hearing what had happened the day before.
Billups has moved three times in the last fourteen years, and not by choice.
"Nothing's safe around here," she said. "Unless it's gated."
The robber was right by the building Billups currently calls home.
"We've come out later in the day and that's when we've discovered some of the vehicles on the property have been damaged, broken into," she said.
Billups said these incidents have jaded her. She said the area needs more police presence to alleviate some of these issues.
It's not the first time St. Louis City Police have responded to a call like this in the last year. In March, another Amazon delivery driver was held at gunpoint and robbed in South St. Louis.
"It's like every day you wake up and something has happened in the Central West End," Billups said.
With scary times like these, Billups said it might be time to start looking for home number four. She told 5 On Your Side she's ready to move.
An investigation into the incident is ongoing.
5 On Your Side has reached out to Amazon for a statement but has not received a response as of this writing.
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 deescalate violent situations within their own communities.