ST. LOUIS – The 19-year-old charged with hitting six people with his car in the Ted Drew parking lot in south St. Louis is set to appear in court on Friday.
Rasool Al Janabi is facing five felony counts of leaving the scene of an accident causing physical injury. Al Janabi has been out of jail on house arrest ahead of Friday morning’s hearing, allowing him to go to work and school.
The incident unfolded back on Dec. 22 around 8 p.m. at Ted Drewes on Chippewa, just days before Christmas. St. Louis Police say Al Janabi apparently swerved to avoid something in the roadway then crashed through metal barriers along the Ted Drewes parking lot, hitting five people with his car. Al Janabi injured a sixth person when he backed his vehicle up to leave the scene.
Al Janabi initially drove off after the incident and went home but then he returned to the scene with a family member and was taken into custody.
Fortunately, nobody was killed, but five people were hospitalized for their injuries, including a 12-year-old girl, a 17-year-old boy, a 21-year-old woman, a 39-year-old man, an 82-year-old man, and a 55-year-old man. Among those who went to the hospital with injuries was an off-duty Washington, Missouri, police officer.
It’s unclear how long Friday morning’s hearing will last or what might be covered. It is listed as a status hearing and is set to take place at 9 a.m.