ST. LOUIS — A 61-year-old man was hospitalized after being severely beaten and carjacked near a Conoco gas station in St. Louis' Mount Pleasant neighborhood Friday night.
The incident happened just before 8:30 p.m. Friday when the victim went to the gas station on South Broadway and Osceola Street to pick up his girlfriend.
He told police he saw his girlfriend was the target of an attempted robbery by three suspects, according to St. Louis police.
When the victim arrived, one of the suspects grabbed the victim's car keys and tried to drive off, but the victim tackled the suspect onto the ground and a struggle ensued.
The victim told police that during the struggle, a handgun fell from the suspect's pocket onto the pavement.
The second suspect grabbed the victim's keys and the third suspect, an unknown woman, picked up the handgun and pressed it against the victim's head twice before striking him several times with it.
Both suspects got away in the victim's Jeep Grand Cherokee and picked up the first suspect, who ran northbound on California Avenue. It was unclear why he was running away from the scene, leaving the other suspects behind.
All suspects are still at large and have not been identified.
The investigation is ongoing.
Last May, a man was rushed to the hospital after a shooting at a Conoco gas station on the 6900 block of Gravois Avenue in south St. Louis. When police responded to a report of a shooting, they found a man on the ground behind the gas station suffering from gunshot wounds.
He was rushed to the hospital in critical condition and was unable to provide police with information. St. Louis police were searching for a man in connection to the shooting; however, there have been no updates on the case.
In January alone, several Conoco gas stations were at the center of multiple shootings.
- On Jan. 22, police were investigating the scene of a shooting that happened at 3165 S. Kingshighway at the Conoco gas station, which is blocks away from Tower Grove Park near Central Visual Performing Arts High School. There, police said a 21-year-old man was inside the gas station when another person came inside the store and fired gunshots at the victim. The person left the store and was followed by the victim who exchanged gunshots in the parking lot.
- On Jan. 18, officers responded to a call for a shooting on the 1300 block of Gravois Avenue and found Lopez unresponsive and suffering from gunshot wounds in the parking lot of a Conoco gas station. Lopez was pronounced dead at the scene.
- On Jan. 17, a woman was found suffering gunshot wounds in the parking lot of the Conoco gas station at 4355 South Broadway. She was transported to a local hospital, where she later died.
- On Jan. 16, Terrence Wortham was killed in a shooting at a Conoco Gas Station on the 1300 block of Gravois Avenue, police said. . The suspect was later charged with first-degree murder.
Resources for crime victims:
If you have been a victim of a crime or know someone who has been, 5 On Your Side has compiled a list of resources.
The Crime Victim Center of St. Louis has multiple programs to support victims of crime. Crime Victim Center’s programs range from direct services to crime victims as well as “creating awareness and change within the systems they encounter.”
Life Outside of Violence "helps those harmed by stabbing, gunshot or assault receive the treatment, support and resources they need to find alternatives to end the cycle of violence."
The Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis has the Neighborhood Healing Network, which serves people who have experienced crime, violence or been the victim of an incident that caused trauma.
Cure Violence is an international organization that is present in a handful of St. Louis neighborhoods. Violence interrupters are trained to deescalate violent situations within their own communities.
