ST. LOUIS — A viral video posted on social media last week showed ºüÀêÊÓƵ police pulling a family from its home at gunpoint during a seemingly unrelated criminal arrest.
The homeowner, India Harvey, said the scene was like something she’d see in a hostile foreign country.
But this week, police said the Mark Twain neighborhood home and its visitors were part of a larger investigation into area vehicle thefts — and officers had been watching that house.
“We will continue to investigate this known criminal street gang and hold individuals accountable who break the law,†said police spokesman Mitchell McCoy. “We’re closing in.â€
Harvey said her children are not part of a gang, and don’t steal cars. And she didn’t know all of the people involved in the incident at her house last month, she said.
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McCoy did not explain the full extent of that investigation. But he released some key details that add new context to the video and the officers’ response.
He said the suspects in the crime are part of a “criminal street gang†engaged in a car theft ring whose members have been seen coming and going from the home, in the 5800 block of Ferris Avenue. Police also say that the man behind the wheel of the stolen vehicle, 20-year-old Demonta Robinson, is Harvey’s nephew.
Harvey denied that.
The Ring door camera video, which had more than 240,000 views on Instagram as of this week, shows a police chase of a stolen Cadillac CTS ending in Harvey’s front yard on Aug. 23. The footage shows police arresting the driver as three people watch from their porch.
Things take a turn when one of Harvey’s family members leaves the porch to retrieve the family dog, which runs toward the stolen vehicle. A police officer can be seen drawing his gun, forcing him to the ground and detaining him.
Another officer appears in the video with his gun drawn, pointing it at 17-year-old Harvey’s son, Anthony, who was standing on the porch. The officer is seen pulling Anthony into the yard and also taking him to the ground. Police said they deny that he was taken to the ground.
Police also detained Harvey’s 16-year-old son, who had come outside to investigate. It’s unclear from the video if he was handcuffed. Another man, Lavon Harvey, was also arrested at the scene.
None of the people in the video are seen with weapons. Nor do they act aggressively.
Harvey said the whole ordeal was traumatizing to her teen boys.
McCoy said he believes the video was only posted online because police are getting close to uncovering the “core†of the gang.
Kaveon Harvey, 24, and Lavon Harvey, 20, were ultimately arrested that day. Both men had outstanding warrants for their arrests for being fugitives from the law, according to police who said they could not divulge any more information about their warrants. Kaveon Harvey also had a gun at the time of his arrest, police reported.
McCoy said he was unsure if detectives were aware of the fugitive warrants before the incident occurred.
Harvey told the Post-Dispatch on Thursday that she lives in the residence with her four children, all minors. She said her kids are not involved in a gang, but she was not sure about her nephews.
McCoy said Harvey told officers that day that Robinson, the car theft suspect, is her nephew. But Harvey denies that.
“That is not my nephew. My nephews have my last name,†she said.
The arrests came after officers who were watching the Harvey residence reported seeing several people leave the home and drive the stolen car. Officers then called for backup because, McCoy said, they were known to law enforcement to be dangerous.
Police eventually tailed Robinson when he left the home in the stolen vehicle, McCoy said. Police said Robinson saw he was being followed, made a U-turn and was trying to flee when he crashed into Harvey’s front yard. Robinson had a stolen firearm in his possession, according to police.
Lavon Harvey was charged Thursday with unlawful possession of a weapon.
The other two men have not been charged yet, according to online court records.