- Police shared suspect photos after a crowd surrounded a patrol SUV.
- Seven were shot, and spike strips stopped about 50 fleeing cars.
- A city curfew now follows one of its most chaotic takeover weekends.
Street takeovers are nothing new, but the fallout from a chaotic weekend in St. Louis is turning into something bigger than drifting in an intersection. After multiple shootings, rolling takeovers, and a police SUV getting surrounded by a crowd, investigators are now publicly posting photos of people they believe were involved.
According to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, officers were called to the intersection of Gravois Avenue and Morgan Ford Road on March 14 after multiple 911 callers reported fireworks, reckless driving, and a street takeover blocking traffic. Several videos posted online of the event show a chaotic scene.
More: Reckless Teens Destroy Chevy Camaro During Street Takeover
When police arrived, they found the intersection packed with cars and people, and said their marked SUV was surrounded by a crowd. Authorities say this prevented them from reaching their target location. During the incident, a woman hanging out of a moving vehicle was thrown from the car and suffered non-life-threatening injuries. She was far from the only one negatively affected.
Takeover Turns Dangerous
Police report seven injured by gunfire, including at least two who were actively exchanging rounds toward one another. Officers deployed spike strips on roughly 50 vehicles in an effort to shut down caravans trying to flee the scenes. Police arrested several individuals, but the sheer volume of participants has the city working on larger solutions.
Part of the new plan is to enact a youth curfew starting at 10 p.m. and running until 5 a.m., beginning on Friday night and running through Monday morning. “Parents will be held responsible for the behavior of their children,” the SLMPD says. Crucially, some who joined last week’s chaos could still be held accountable, even if they made a clean escape at the time.
SLMPD released dozens of photos showing several persons of interest at the event. No doubt, everyday citizens interested in the case could be sending in tips to the police as we speak. For those involved, it could end up being one more lesson in not filming oneself committing crimes.
