ST. LOUIS — A man who was allegedly pistol-whipped and carjacked by an 11-year-old boy and his mother said he found the suspects Friday night at a south St. Louis grocery store.
"I walked into the store this afternoon to buy some food," said Sylvester Konateh. But the routine trip to World Market in the 3900 block of South Grand Blvd. suddenly took a shocking turn.
Konateh said he spotted the boy who, along with his mom, approached him at a gas station less than a mile from the store on September 21 and asked for a ride.
The food delivery driver thought he was helping the pair when he drove them to the 4200 block of Page Blvd. in north St. Louis. But the boy repeatedly hit him across his head with a gun while the mom dragged him out of his car and carjacked him.
"These are the same two persons that I saw. I know them very well," Konateh said.
Konateh said while he was at the grocery store on Friday, the owner told him the boy stole money from a jar. He told the owner to lock the front door as he called police and approached the teen.
"When I approached him, he was like, 'I know who hijacked your vehicle, but it wasn't me.' So I said, 'No, you're lying. It was you.'" Konateh said the boy was wearing the same clothes both times he encountered him.
A woman who identified herself as the boy's grandmother denied either of them did anything to Konateh. She also said the boy taken into custody was 13.
After questioning the boy and the woman, officers placed him in handcuffs and took him into custody. The woman walked away on her own.
Konateh says he's not giving up on his case. He said he won't rest until he gets "justice."
"I'm glad God helped me to identify them. ... I want them prosecuted," he said.
It's unclear if the boy was taken into custody for stealing or in connection wot the carjacking in September.
St. Louis police did not immediately return an email sent Friday night.