LADUE, Mo. (KMOV.com) – A newspaper carrier was shot in the back, but not seriously hurt, during an attempted carjacking in Ladue early Tuesday morning.
According to the victim, who ask to remain anonymous, he was driving on Ladue Road, just east of Lindbergh Boulevard, when a car cut him off and forced him to stop. He said two armed men came up to his car, but he tried to distract them by telling them a police car had been behind him.
“He turned and right, then I just gunned the vehicle,” said the victim.
The man said he drove away at a high rate of speed but the carjackers immediately opened fire.
“Three or four bullets struck the vehicle, one went through the seat and hit me in the back,” he said.
The victim said he continued driving to get away, hitting 100 miles an hour. He said he was trying to get to a place where he sometimes sees police officers in the early morning hours. The man stopped at The Gatesworth retirement community in University City, where he found a police officer.
Ladue Police Chief Ken Andreski, Jr said he believes this was a crime of opportunity and that the victim was merely in the wrong place at the wrong time. Andreski also said it was a rare type of crime in his community.
“We’re obviously like every other community, we have our share of crime. But as far as shootings and violent crime of this nature, it’s rare,” he said.
News 4 reached out to the St. Louis News Distribution Services for a comment.
“We are thankful that our contractor appears to have suffered only minor injuries,” said Adam Cross, General Manager of St. Louis News Distribution Services. “We are hopeful the police will find those involved and we are grateful for their efforts.”
Ladue police believe the suspects were driving a red car and are asking people who live in the area to check the video from their doorbell security cameras to see if someone has video of the suspects driving by.
