Pregnant woman driving home from prenatal visit shot during alleged road rage attack: police
An Illinois man is behind bars after police say he allegedly shot a pregnant woman driving home from a prenatal appointment in a suspected road rage incident.
Anthony Lee-Armstrong, 19, is facing a slew of felony charges — including first-degree assault, armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon — stemming from an alleged shooting in St. Louis on May 17, according to jail records.
The incident unfolded after authorities with the St. Louis Police Department received a 911 call from a woman who reported that “two black vehicles occupied by white males just shot up her vehicle” with a young child inside, according to a probable cause statement obtained by Fox News Digital.
Authorities said the family was driving near Russell Boulevard and South Jefferson Avenue when a Volkswagen sedan and a black Honda sedan nearly hit them as they drove into a QuickTrip parking lot.
11-YEAR-OLD KILLED IN ROAD RAGE SHOOTING ON THE WAY TO SCHOOL, POLICE SAY
The male victim subsequently followed the vehicles and confronted them about the alleged near-collision before leaving the parking lot, police said.
The drivers of both sedans then allegedly began following the family’s vehicle, weaving in and out of oncoming traffic to keep up with them, investigators added.
When the family made a U-turn to evade both vehicles, an unknown number of gunshots were fired, according to the probable cause statement.
The female victim, who was 11 weeks pregnant at the time of the alleged incident and on her way home from a prenatal appointment, told police she immediately felt pain in her back after she heard the gunshots ring out.
When officers arrived at the scene, they found the pregnant female victim suffering from a gunshot wound to her upper back, authorities said. The male victim also sustained shrapnel injuries to his chin and shoulder, and the family’s vehicle sustained significant ballistic damage in the alleged shooting.
Both victims were subsequently transported to a hospital for treatment.
MANHUNT UNDERWAY FOR PHILLY DRIVER WHO OPENED FIRE ON TEEN, WOMAN IN ROAD RAGE INCIDENT
Surveillance video obtained by authorities allegedly showed the pair of suspected vehicles following the family’s car through the area and gunshots being fired from the driver’s side of the Volkswagen sedan, police said.
Investigators later tied Lee-Armstrong to the incident after a license plate reader revealed that he is the owner of the Volkswagen, according to the probable cause statement.
The female victim subsequently identified Lee-Armstrong in a lineup as the alleged driver of the vehicle, adding that he made “racist statements” toward her and the male victim during the incident, police said.
Authorities added a second witness who was inside the Honda sedan also named Lee-Armstrong as the driver of the Volkswagen.
Lee-Armstrong was taken into custody on May 23, and is charged with two counts of first-degree assault, four counts of armed criminal action, one count of unlawful use of a weapon and first-degree property damage, jail records show.
He is being held without bond, according to court documents.
Fox News Digital reached out to the City of St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office for comment.
المصدر: Fox News — Latest