For the reporting period of Monday, January 12th – Sunday, January 18th, your CPD officers responded to 436 calls for service. Those calls included 19 vehicle crashes and 55 requests to assist other agencies. Among those calls were the following incidents:
Officers responded to the 6300 block of Southwood on Monday morning after a resident reported their storage unit had been burglarized. She explained she had entered the shared basement of her apartment and noticed that some of her belongings had been removed from her storage unit, and were lying outside the building, next to the exterior door. Upon further inspection, she discovered that her storage unit had been rummaged through and that additional items were missing. No suspects or witnesses have been identified. The investigation continues.
That afternoon, Officers were called to the 100 block of N. Meramec for a delayed report of a vehicle striking an office building. A security guard stated that on Friday, January 9th, he had witnessed a man backing his pickup truck into a parking space. He explained that a piece of lumber had been sticking out of the truck’s bed, and as the man reversed, the wood struck the building’s window, damaging it. He stated he had attempted to obtain the driver’s information, but was met with a language barrier, and the man had driven away from the scene. Officers contacted the driver and collected all appropriate contact and insurance information without further incident.
Staff at Oceano Bistro contacted the CPD on Monday evening for assistance with a customer who had refused to leave. They explained that the woman was intoxicated and had been causing a disturbance. When Officers attempted to escort her from the building, the woman became argumentative and continued to refuse to leave the restaurant. She was subsequently arrested for Trespassing and Disturbing the Peace. She has an upcoming court date through the Clayton Municipal Court.
A short time later, Officers responded to Forest Park Parkway for a vehicle crash. A man reported he had been driving westbound in the right lane when another vehicle merged into his lane. He explained he had attempted to avoid a collision; however, the truck struck his driver’s side mirror and pushed his vehicle into the concrete barrier, damaging the passenger side of his car and flattening his tire. The driver of the truck stated he had heard a noise as he merged lanes but could not see anything that he may have hit. Damage to the truck was consistent with the damage to the passenger vehicle. Neither driver was injured in the collision. Due to the flat tire, the passenger car was towed from the scene.
Officers responded to the 900 block of Francis Place on Wednesday morning after a man arrived at an appointment with unexplained injuries. He could not recall how he had been injured or where he had left his vehicle. Officers found his car wrecked nearby. The man was transported to a local hospital for further treatment, and the vehicle was towed from the scene.
A short time later, a man reported someone had damaged his vehicle and stolen his belongings. He explained that earlier that morning, he had obtained a cashier’s check from a bank in the City of St. Louis. He then responded to a different bank in our jurisdiction where he parked and went inside to conduct his business. When he returned approximately 20 minutes later, he discovered that his front passenger window had been shattered and that someone had stolen his backpack, which contained the cashier’s check and other items. He called the first bank to initiate a stop payment on the check and learned that a vehicle in their parking lot had just been broken into. He stated there had been no other customers in the first bank while he was there, and he did not recall being followed. The investigation is ongoing.
A woman responded to the CPD on Wednesday evening to make a delayed report of a vehicle leaving the scene of a crash. She explained she had been driving southbound on I-170 the day before when the vehicle to her left merged into her lane and struck her car, causing damage to the entire driver’s side. She stated she had pulled off the roadway, but the striking vehicle had continued southbound without stopping to exchange information. She could not provide a description of the striking vehicle or the driver, and no suspects or witnesses have been identified. The investigation continues.
Officers responded to the central business district on Thursday morning after witnesses reported a man had trespassed at an office building in the 200 block of S. Central and broken into a vehicle in the parking lot. Officers found the man outside the building and recognized him as a man who had been warned against trespassing at a nearby hotel the night before. The property manager stated that surveillance footage captured the man on the roof of the building, attempting to break in. A second man explained that he had been working on equipment in the building and, when he returned to his vehicle for tools, found the man sitting inside his SUV, helping himself to the victim’s belongings. Officers arrested the man, and he admitted to breaking into the vehicle and attempting to break into the office building. This case will be submitted to the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for consideration.
Officers responded to the intersection of Clayton Rd. and S. Hanley Rd. on Thursday night for a report of a vehicle crash blocking the roadway. One of the drivers explained that she had been turning onto eastbound Clayton Rd. from southbound S. Hanley Rd. when her SUV was struck by two other vehicles, rendering it inoperable. The other two drivers explained they had been driving northbound on S. Hanley when the SUV suddenly turned in front of them. They were unable to stop and struck the SUV. One of the passengers complained of leg pain caused by the collision and was transported to a local hospital for treatment. All three vehicles were towed from the scene.
A manager at Straub’s contacted the CPD on Friday afternoon to report that a man had stolen items from the store. She explained that she had seen the man consuming various food items as he walked through the store, and she had asked him to leave. The man complied; however, he returned approximately 20 minutes later and resumed eating and drinking their merchandise without attempting to purchase anything. She once again confronted the man, and he left the store before the Officers arrived on the scene. The investigation continues.
Early on Saturday morning, a CPD Officer was on patrol in the central business district when he witnessed a Ford pickup truck commit multiple traffic violations. When he attempted to stop the vehicle, the driver sped away. Through further investigation, the Officer identified the driver, and the man has been entered as a wanted person for Aggravated Fleeing, a felony.
Finally, Officers returned to the east end of town on Sunday afternoon regarding a burglary that had just been discovered. The reporting party, a resident of the 6300 block of S. Rosebury, explained that when she entered the shared basement of her apartment building, she had noticed her storage locker had been rummaged through. Nothing appeared to be missing. However, a neighbor stated that her storage unit was also burglarized, and that someone stole her Ring camera. As they continued their investigation, Officers spoke with a third neighbor who reported that the week before, he had discovered that the latches had been broken off a sliding window located above his washer and dryer, and someone had left the window partially open. He stated he had notified his landlord of the issue, and the window had been repaired before the burglary was discovered. Our investigation continues.
Anyone with information about these or other investigations is asked to contact the CPD at (314) 645 -3000. Until next week, stay safe!
