ST. LOUIS — A woman suffered life-threatening injuries after being struck by a car during an attempted robbery at a south St. Louis County gas station.
A St. Louis County Police Department spokesperson said officers arrived at the QuikTrip on the 2000 block of Union Road at about 5:40 p.m. after a report of a robbery. When they arrived, they found a woman injured on the parking lot.
She was taken to the hospital for treatment.
During their preliminary investigation, police said they found the woman was struck by a car while pumping gas. On Wednesday, county police said the woman's purse was stolen from her vehicle.
The police spokesperson said they did not have a description of the car that struck the woman.
The spokesperson said the incident appeared to be related to an attempted robbery but did not have more information.
County police said they have been called to that gas station 14 times since January for reports of thefts from vehicles.
“I came out here for a break and I looked over. It was a bunch of policemen and detectives out there. They were putting the yellow tape up," Janaye Edwards, a Circle K employee, said.
“I could see her royal blue Navigator from where I stood. I really didn’t know what was going on. It made me nervous because it happened in broad daylight. I saw the ambulance pull off," Edwards said.
“I’m glad she’s fighting for her life. I’m glad she’s still alive,” Edwards said.
“It’s just crazy. You would never think that you would be in that position,” Katie Ketler, a nearby driver, said. “I would love it if they could catch the person who hit her. I’m hoping the police have surveillance video."
5 On Your Side talked to nearby business owners Thursday. Jaime Trupiano owns Social Bar & Grill on Cotton Union Plaza with her husband.
“This is close to where we all grew up, we’re all from the Afton/South County area, and we want to support the place we were born and raised," she said.
They’re raising their three children here, too.
“This area in general is a family-friendly place," she said. "There are churches and schools on either side of us, so we were kind of shocked to see this stuff happen.”
It’s just across the street from the QuikTrip.
“This is a shock," she said.
Now, she’s teaching new lessons to her kids.
“It’s constantly teaching them now that they need to be more aware of their surroundings," she said.
It's not the first time they've witnessed things like this. She said she remembers days where it was worse.
“Do you remember how it was when we first opened? You would find people in the back passed out and sleeping," she said to her husband Thursday.
Now, she said police are doing their best, but she wants more to be done.
“Things like this are running businesses out left and right, you know. We’re here for the long haul," she said.
So, for now, she said she and her husband are doing their best.
“This is where our kids go to school, this is where we work, and we just want to feel safe," she said. "We need the resources to make that happen.”