ST. LOUIS — Police are still searching for a MetroLink rider linked to an argument that led to a fight onboard late Thursday night in East St. Louis.
At about 11 p.m., police arrived at the 5th Street and Missouri MetroLink station after reports of a shot being fired onboard.
Brad Clossen with the St. Clair County Sheriff's Department, which is handling the investigation, said a MetroLink train coming back to Illinois from the St. Louis Cardinal game had an altercation involving 57-year-old John Goliday and another man on the train.
"Two subjects began arguing on the train when one of the subjects pulled out a gun and started beating the other subject with the gun," Clossen said.
During the fight, the gun went off. No one was hit by the bullet.
"The train pulled into the 5th and Missouri station in East St. Louis and the subject with the gun ran off of the train," Clossen continued. "The other subject that had been beaten exited the train and then fell to the ground."
Police said the victim was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Although Goliday is not in custody, the St. Clair County Attorney's Office issued a possession of firearm charge against him.
5 On Your Sides spoke to a Cardinals season ticket holder who was on that train.
He noted he saw the victim before he got on the train -- and believes he was the one who started the problems.
5 On Your Side also spoke to a few MetroLink riders who were made aware of the incident and provided their thoughts on the matter.
"People were running to get on the trains and then finally someone yelled that the trains were not running. They told us it was a shooting on the train and that was kind of scary. It was a big headache,” Barb Jacobs, a MetroLink rider from Glen Carbon, Illinois, said.
“It didn’t bother me that much. A shooting will happen anytime and anywhere. Convenience and cost -- we feel outweigh any possibility that there might be a problem," Paul Bollinger, another MetroLink rider, said.
“That man should have never been let on that train in that condition just for the safety of the people. I just kind of look over my back a little bit more and be more aware of my surroundings. I’m not going to stop riding the Metro because of this,” Dale Becker said.
Jerry Vallely, a spokesman for Bi-State Development, said MetroLink briefly halted service between the Stadium and Emerson Park MetroLink stations.
At around 9:30 p.m., Vallely said trains were not operating between the Stadium and Emerson Park stations due to a security issue. He noted that riders were being transported by bus between the Stadium, 8th & Pine, Convention Center, Laclede's Landing, East Riverfront, 5th & Missouri and Emerson Park Stations.
Blue line trains were also affected. The blue line is only operating between the Shrewsbury-Lansdowne I-44 and Forest Park-DeBaliviere MetroLink Stations. Passengers must transfer between Blue Line and Red Line trains at the Forest Park-DeBaliviere Station.
Anyone with information about the suspect or the fight should contact police at 618-825-5712 or 618-825-5779