Executive Summary
- Jayden L. Eddins is charged with vehicle hijacking and robbery following a Feb. 7 incident in Spanish Lake.
- Police allege the suspect threatened a woman at gunpoint while her two-year-old son was inside the vehicle.
- The suspect was apprehended using spike strips shortly after the theft.
- Eddins remains jailed on a $150,000 cash-only bond awaiting a preliminary hearing.
CLAYTON, Mo. — Prosecutors in St. Louis County have filed multiple felony charges against a Spanish Lake man accused of carjacking a woman at gunpoint earlier this year while her two-year-old child was in the backseat. The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office formally charged Jayden L. Eddins on December 22 with vehicle hijacking, first-degree robbery, aggravated fleeing a stop or detention, resisting arrest, and two counts of armed criminal action.
According to a probable cause statement filed by the St. Louis County Police Department, the incident occurred around 5:40 p.m. on February 7 at a QT gas station located on Lusher Road, near Lewis and Clark Boulevard. Investigators reported that the victim had stopped at the station to inflate a tire on her 2014 Jeep Cherokee. Police noted that the victim kept a Taurus .22 caliber pistol in the driver’s side door of the vehicle.
Police allege that while the victim was attending to her vehicle, Eddins entered the Jeep and shifted it into reverse. The victim reportedly managed to enter the backseat and pleaded with Eddins to pause so she could retrieve her son. Authorities stated that Eddins then pointed a firearm at the woman, threatening to kill her if she did not remove the child immediately. The victim successfully grabbed her son before Eddins fled the scene in the stolen vehicle.
Law enforcement located the suspect shortly after the incident. According to the police report, officers successfully deployed spike strips to disable the Jeep, apprehending Eddins just after 6:00 p.m. At the time of the arrest, police allegedly found the victim’s Taurus pistol in Eddins’ possession.
Court records indicate that Eddins is currently being held on a $150,000 cash-only bond. He is scheduled to appear in court for a bond reduction hearing on December 30, followed by a preliminary hearing set for January 22, 2026.
Procedural Next Steps
This case highlights the severe legal ramifications associated with vehicle hijacking, particularly when aggravating factors such as the presence of a minor and the use of a deadly weapon are involved. The inclusion of armed criminal action charges often carries mandatory minimum sentencing requirements upon conviction, distinct from the underlying felonies. As the case moves to the preliminary hearing phase, the court will determine if there is sufficient evidence to proceed to trial. It is important to note that all individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
