Police reported that investigators believe a group of men who shattered windows on more than 40 vehicles at Mercy Hospital South in south St. Louis County also broke into at least 18 vehicles in Arnold. The Arnold break-ins occurred at Club Fitness, Walmart and WoodSpring Suites, and some items were stolen from vehicles at two of those three locations, Arnold Police reported.
Maj. Clinton Wooldridge said an Arnold Police officer encountered a vehicle with at least three men inside at about 10:40 p.m. July 9 at Club Fitness, 215 Arnold Crossroads Center. The officer said the black passenger car was in the parking lot and the driver sped away after the officer pulled into the lot, the report said.
A car that fit that description, believed to be either a Honda or Kia, also was seen at Mercy Hospital South, 10010 Kennerly Road, where windows were broken on 46 vehicles and items were stolen from 10 vehicles. That incident was reported at about 4 a.m. July 10, according to St. Louis County Police.
Wooldridge said the Arnold Police officer who saw the black car outside Club Fitness chased it onto Hwy. 141 and then onto northbound Jeffco Boulevard before it left Arnold city limits and headed into St. Louis County, where the pursuit was ended.
When officers investigated the parking lot outside Club Fitness, they discovered that four vehicles had been broken into and items were stolen from the vehicles. An estimate for the value of the stolen items was not provided.
The passenger-side windows of a 2008 Pontiac Solstice, 2014 Toyota Camry and 2012 Chevrolet Cruze were shattered, and the windshield, passenger-side window and glove box were damaged on a 2019 Toyota Tacoma. The cost to repair the windows on the Solstice, Camry and Cruze was estimated at about $350 each, and the estimated cost to repair the Tacoma was $1,700, according to the report.
Wooldridge said a dispatcher informed Arnold Police about the break-ins at Mercy Hospital South, and officers were called to patrol parking lots throughout the Arnold.
At about 4:30 a.m. July 10, an officer went to Walmart, 2201 Michigan Ave., in Arnold and discovered five vehicles had been broken into and some items were stolen. A witness told the officer at least three men wearing leather jackets and motorcycle helmets appeared to be breaking windows in the parking lot, the report said.
At Walmart, the passenger-side windows on a 2012 Jeep Wrangler, 2018 Ford Focus, 2017 Jeep Renegade, 2021 Hyundai Elantra and 1999 Pontiac Montana had been shattered. The estimated cost to replace each window was $350. A value for the items stolen was not provided.
At about 4:40 a.m. July 10, another officer discovered the passenger-side windows on nine vehicles were broken at WoodSpring Suites, 888 Arnold Commons Drive. The cost to repair the windows was estimated to be $350 for each vehicle, Arnold Police reported.
A complete list of vehicles broken into was not available.
Wooldridge said investigators believe the men broke passenger-side windows in order to gain access to the vehicles’ glove compartments because they likely were searching for guns.
As of July 20, none of the stolen items had been recovered, and no suspects had been identified, Wooldridge said. Anyone with information about the incidents should call Arnold Police at 636-296-3204.