Two young men were subjected to an armed robbery by a man wielding a machete on a St. Louis MetroLink train near the Central West End station, according to reports from local authorities released yesterday. The St. Louis Metropolitan Police detailed that the incident, which involved 39-year-old Christopher Crockett, occurred shortly before 3 p.m. on Sunday. The victims, both 21, faced a demand for their belongings under the threat of Crockett's blade. He made away with a phone, an iPad, and a computer, but fortunately, the men did not sustain injuries during the confrontation.
In a combined effort to apprehend the suspect, local police were able, to quickly locate Crockett after tracking one of the stolen phones to the 100 block of Newstead Avenue, with the vital assistance of the Washington University Police Department. Crockett has since been charged with two counts of first-degree robbery and two counts of armed criminal action, as stated in a report by KFVS12. The arrest has been a testament to the close coordination between local authorities and university police forces in the area.
Following the unsettling episode on the MetroLink, Kevin Scott, general manager of security for Bi-State Development, provided an official statement about the event. "The incident that occurred on Sunday is currently under investigation by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department," Scott explained. Bi-State Development has pledged its support to law enforcement's investigation by providing access to real-time surveillance technologies which are aiding the collection of evidence to expedite the legal process. Scott’s full statement was recounted by KSDK.
Additional information about the ongoing investigation can be sought from the Public Information Division of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, as suggested by Bi-State Development's security chief in his statement obtained by FOX2now.