ST. LOUIS – Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner’s office in St. Louis declined to file charges against a man who is accused of trying to carjack officers driving a marked police unit, according to law enforcement officials.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department sought charges of first-degree robbery, armed criminal action and resisting arrest against a 27-year-old suspect after the crime was committed on Saturday, the St. Louis Dispatch reported.
According to a police spokeswoman on Monday, the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s office refused to file charges after the armed suspect pointed a firearm at two officers and demanded their SUV.
A spokeswoman for Gardner declined to answer questions why charges weren’t filed, simply saying the case “is under investigation,” KDSK reported.
Two St. Louis officers were dispatched to a call of shots fired in the vicinity of Chouteau and South Seventh Street early Saturday. While checking the area, a suspect stepped into traffic on Chuteau near South Tucker Blvd. and blocked their path, Law Officer reported over the weekend.
The suspect stepped toward the fully marked police SUV and pointed a handgun at the passenger window and tried to carjack them of their vehicle, according to officials.
When the perpetrator realized it was a police unit, he ran from the scene.
The patrol officers notified dispatch of the circumstances as well as a suspect description. He was located and arrested in the parking lot of a nearby restaurant. Officers discovered a handgun on the man during during a search, Fox News reported.
According to KDSK, the unnamed suspect already has pending charges in the St. Louis area, including domestic assault, violating an order of protection and first-degree property damage.
