A 54-year-old Festus man allegedly jumped into a woman’s truck parked at the Twin City Mall in Crystal City on Monday night (April 10) and pointed his finger at her head as if it were a gun before being apprehended a short time later, authorities report.
The victim, a 30-year-old Crystal City woman, was preparing to drive away from the parking lot after shopping at the Dollar General store, 102 Twin City Mall, Crystal City Police Capt. Mike Pruneau said.
The woman reported the incident around 8 p.m., Pruneau said.
“A guy jumped into a woman’s (2004 Chevrolet Silverado), stuck his finger to her head in the form of a gun and went, ‘Bang!’ like he was shooting her,” Pruneau said. “She had two kids in the truck and had just gotten done shopping at Dollar General. She’d never seen him before in her life.”
After the incident, the suspect reportedly got on a bicycle and started to ride away, but officers soon arrived and caught him, Pruneau said.
“When officers got there, they saw the suspect trying to get away on a bike, but they stopped him,” Pruneau said. “He said, ‘You got me.’”
Drugs appear to have been involved, officers said.
“We believe he was possibly under the influence of a narcotic,” Pruneau said. “They found drugs on him.”
Officers said the suspect gave a bizarre explanation for the incident.
“He said he was doing it to show her how she was being unsafe by not locking the door,” Pruneau said.
The suspect was released pending application for warrants.
Pruneau said Crystal City Police likely will seek charges against the man for “peace disturbance, harassment and felony possession of a controlled substance.”