A 17-year-old St. Louis man was arrested after Arnold Police tried to stop him and two other men at the Fox Chase Apartments before they allegedly fled in a stolen white Ford Fusion that later crashed at Old Lemay Ferry Road and Melody Lane. After the one-vehicle accident, the three men ran away, but the 17-year-old eventually was found in the backyard of a home in the 1900 block of Key West Drive, not far from the Fox Chase Apartments, Arnold Police reported.
The incident began at 1:49 a.m. Jan. 30, when the three men, along with three other men, allegedly were seen going through vehicles on the apartment complex parking lot, 700 Fox Chase. When an officer arrived, he saw a gray Ford Fusion with three men inside being driven in the area without headlights on, and he attempted to stop the car. The gray Fusion allegedly avoided the officer and sped away on West Outer Road, and it was later seen getting on northbound I-55 off of Hwy. 141, the report said.
While police were pursuing the gray Fusion, a white Fusion with another three men inside drove past and turned onto the West Outer Road before crashing at Old Lemay Ferry Road and Melody Lane about 1 mile away from the apartment complex. After the crash, the three men from the white Fusion ran away. However, throughout the night, authorities got reports from residents that men were walking through nearby subdivisions, knocking on doors and asking to use a phone, according to the report.
At about 7:30 a.m., the 17-year-old was found outside the home on Key West Drive. He told police he had not been at the Fox Chase Apartments and had not been riding in the white Fusion, but he was arrested, the report said.
Police determined the white Fusion had been stolen Jan. 27 in St. Louis, and the gray Fusion was stolen on Jan. 29 in Jefferson County, according to the report.
The 17-year-old was taken to the Police Station, where he was booked and released pending application for warrants. Arnold Police will seek charges against him through the Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for second-degree tampering, Lt. Clinton Wooldridge said.
As of Feb. 11, the five other men suspected in the incident had not been identified, Wooldridge said. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Arnold Police at 636-296-3204.