Two men have been charged in connection with the death of a Dittmer man who was struck and dragged by a car during an alleged street racing incident in St. Louis County. Christopher Johnson, 34, died in the incident, St. Louis County Police reported.
Carl Seese, 58, of Arnold also was struck and seriously injured, authorities reported.
Deondre Robinson, 18, and Patrick Aten, 18, both of St. Louis, have been charged with first-degree involuntary manslaughter, a class C felony that carries a penalty of three to 10 years in prison, and second-degree assault, a class D felony punishable by up to seven years in prison. Robinson also was charged with operating a vehicle without a valid license, a class D misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $500, court records show.
Robinson and Aten were being held Monday at the St. Louis County Jail, each one on a $150,000 cash-only bond, court documents show.
According to the probable-cause statement in the case, Robinson and Aten allegedly were racing each other at about 10:30 a.m. April 5 in the 9900 block of South Broadway, and Robinson lost control of the car he was driving and hit Johnson and Carl Seese, who were working on an awning at a business along that street.
Johnson was dragged under the car and pronounced dead at the scene. Seese was transported to an area hospital with serious injuries, the report said.
Marvin Rudloff, the owner of Glenlo Awning and Window Co. in Imperial, told KSDK 5 On Your Side that Johnson and Seese were among six men working to replace the awning outside Rediscover Antiques and Collectibles, 9912 S. Broadway, when they were hit.
St. Louis County Police Department Bureau of Crimes Against Persons are leading the investigation.