A 37-year-old Jefferson County man who recently attempted a carjacking at the Twin City Mall parking lot in Crystal City was thwarted by his apparent poor driving skills and a woman with a gun, Crystal City Police Chief Chad Helms said.
He said the incident occurred about 3 p.m. Aug 1 at the mall along Truman Boulevard (Hwy. 61-67).
Helms said the victim, a 67-year-old Cedar Creek woman, parked her 2020 Ford Escape and after she got out, the suspect approached the woman and asked for a ride.
“She declined," Helms said. "At that point, he attempted to pull the victim’s purse off her shoulder. The victim lost her balance and fell and while she was falling the suspect took her key fob off the victim and got in the car."
“The victim was able to get up and go to open the door to try to stop the suspect. The suspect again pushed her to the ground. The victim yelled for help. The suspect began to drive away and struck a light pole on the parking lot.”
After that, people came to the victim’s aid, Helms said.
“Several witnesses arrived,” he said. “A female witness displayed a handgun and pointed it at the suspect and told him to stay where he was. We arrived on the scene. Festus Police provided assistance. We arrested the suspect without further incident.”
The bystander with the handgun is a 42-year-old Festus woman, Helms said.
As of Tuesday morning, Aug. 2, the suspect was in custody in the Crystal City Jail, he said.
“We will seek felony crime charges, including vehicle hijacking, property damage and assault,” Helms said.
He said Joachim-Plattin Ambulance District personnel evaluated the woman at the scene and determined she had no serious injuries.
Helms said the Escape “sustained significant damage.”
He also said it was fortunate the incident did not turn out worse.
“We’re just thankful no one was injured and the suspect was taken into custody,” he said.