Brandon Van Doren

Four suspects in a Missouri robbery were apprehended in Columbia late Wednesday morning after they fled across the river in a stolen car and abandoned it in the Columbia Lakes subdivision.

The individuals arrested were driver Brandon S. Van Doren, 21, of St. Louis, who was charged with resisting a peace officer, unlawful possession of a controlled substance (heroin), unlawful possession of hypodermic needles, possession of a stolen vehicle, disobeyed traffic light, improper lane usage, fleeing and eluding police and speeding 40 miles per hour over the posted limit; Shawn Lamb, 23, of St. Louis, who was charged with resisting a peace officer, unlawful possession of a stolen vehicle and fugitive from justice;

Shawn Lamb

Tosha Fox, 23, of St. Louis, who was charged with resisting a peace officer and possession of a stolen vehicle; and Tesla Sensabaugh, 22, of St. Louis, formerly of Tennessee, who was charged with illegal transportation of alcohol, possession of a stolen vehicle and resisting a peace officer.

At 9:54 a.m., Columbia police were alerted by St. Louis County police that a black Nissan Maxima stolen from Jefferson County, Mo., and involved in the robbery of a Kmart on Lemay Ferry Road in South St. Louis County, was headed toward the Jefferson Barracks Bridge. A Columbia police officer quickly located the vehicle, which exited I-255 onto Route 3 and then Old State Route 3.

Tesla Sensabaugh

A chase was called off due to high speeds, and additional police units set out to locate and track the car.

It entered the Columbia Lakes subdivision, where it was abandoned, and four occupants exited and ran in separate directions. One male suspect was quickly apprehended near Red Roof Liquor & Lottery and taken into custody. The others, two females and a male, were apprehended after about 90 minutes of searching.

“We were able to set up a perimeter,” said acting Columbia police chief Jerry Paul. “We had a lot of agencies, a lot of help.”

Tosha Fox

The three remaining suspects were located by Waterloo’s K-9 team of officer Trin Daws and Ayla near the wooded area behind a concrete embankment at Columbia Lakes Drive and Old State Route 3.

“A passing Missouri motorist flagged down an officer and reported he saw two females run out of the woods and back in near the embankment,” Paul said.

K-9s from Columbia, Waterloo, Dupo, Cahokia and St. Clair County assisted with the tracking. Monroe County Sheriff’s Department deputies assisted in the search and apprehension of the suspects, as did Illinois State Police troopers and an ISP plane. Police in Missouri who were investigating the robbery initiated the search for the suspects.