St. Louis police arrest armed youths in downtown and urge parents to be vigilant

Police seized weapons when they arrested three teenagers in downtown St. Louis on Saturday morning. (Photos courtesy of St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department)

ST. LOUIS – Authorities arrested three armed teenagers overnight in downtown St. Louis, near the scene of another shooting that occurred Thursday following the city’s Independence Day celebrations.

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department reports that three suspects were taken into custody: a 19-year-old man from Florissant, an 18-year-old man from Belleville and a 17-year-old juvenile.

SLMPD is calling on parents to take action following recent shootings and arrests downtown.

“Parents and guardians must have conversations with the children entrusted to their care. Carrying firearms and/or airsoft weapons is dangerous and can be fatal,” SLMPD said Saturday via the social media platform X.

Police said the three arrests stemmed from a reported disturbance early Saturday morning. Officers responded to the corner of 8th and Chestnut streets around 4:30 a.m. after receiving multiple calls reporting teens and young adults “obstructing traffic and brandishing firearms.”

The police quickly arrested the two older teenagers and also confiscated two firearms. The police arrested the 17-year-old after a short foot chase and found that he was armed with an airsoft gun. The teenager’s mother later took custody of her son.

At the scene of the arrests, a shooting occurred shortly after midnight Friday night, just hours before the city’s biggest Independence Day fireworks display. Police said four people were hospitalized after being shot near the corner of 8th Street and Chestnut. Three other people were shot within a few blocks around the same time.

It is unclear whether the suspects arrested on Saturday are connected to Friday’s gun violence downtown.

If you have relevant information that could assist the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department in investigating this weekend’s incidents, contact the department at 314-444-25000 or CrimeStoppers at 866-371-TIPS (8477).