ST. LOUIS POLICE
Christopher Franklin and Kaniya Sloan were arrested on suspicion of robbery charges.
St. Louis police have arrested two people who they say robbed a St. Louis Blues' prospect and another woman at gunpoint at the Gateway Arch park.
The unnamed twenty-year-old player was apparently on break from Blues rookie camp and visiting the Arch on Monday with a 22-year-old woman when they were confronted by a gunman. The thief stole their phones and car keys as well as the player's wallet and woman's purse before running away.
This morning, police announced they had taken nineteen-year-old Christopher Franklin and eighteen-year-old Kaniya Sloan into custody. Police are seeking charges of first-degree robbery and armed criminal action and are applying for warrants with the Circuit Attorney's Office.
After the robbery, the Blues issued a brief statement confirming one of the victims was their prospects.
"Our player, who is in St. Louis for our rookie camp, is safe as local authorities work to apprehend the suspect," the statement from St. Louis Blues President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Doug Armstrong says in part.
The high-profile robbery was a black eye for the city. After a recent handful of shootings and other crimes, Mayor Tishaura Jones on Tuesday announced the city was deploying an additional 30 cops to police Downtown for at least six weeks. As part of the push to make Downtown safer and change the perception of lawlessness, the city is also launching a new partnership with private businesses called the Downtown Engagement and Public Safety Initiative, which hopes to offer more food and cultural events in hopes of filling the often sparse Downtown nights with activity.
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