BY MARIA BARAN - News-Democrat
BELLEVILLE -- Three men in a bright blue Lexus missed their check-in at the probation office Tuesday when they were arrested in connection with a vehicular hijacking from earlier in the day.
About 1:30 p.m., an unknown number of armed men reportedly jumped out of a bright blue 300 G5 Lexus and stole a burgundy 1985 Oldsmobile from the 1400 block of Martin Luther King Boulevard in East St. Louis, St. Clair County Sheriff's Department Sgt. Thomas Trice said.
Police radio broadcasts alerted authorities that they were searching for the Oldsmobile, which had chrome wheels and a white ragtop, and the Lexus described as "candy apple blue."
Trice, who was with the department's Street Crimes Unit conducting a warrant sweep in East St. Louis, spotted the brightly colored Lexus about 3:30 p.m. headed east on Illinois 15. He followed the car until it got off at the Illinois 159 exit.
Trice turned on his police lights for a felony traffic stop, and the car pulled into the St. Clair County Probation Department, 11 W. Lincoln St.
Trice said three men were inside the car and one yelled: "We're coming here. We're on our way to probation."
The three men were arrested and taken to the East St. Louis Police Department for questioning in connection with the vehicular hijacking.
Police were still searching for the hijacked Oldsmobile.
Contact reporter Maria Baran at mbaran@bnd.com or 239-2460.
