South City resident describes being victim in armed ATM robbery

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (KMOV) - It’s the bullet hole in Richard Beckett’s windshield that now serves as a fearful reminder of an incident he could never have imagined happening to him.

“I’m physically fine. Mentally, I tear up every now and then thinking, ‘Wow, how am I still alive, you know.’ I never heard anything happen in this neighborhood,” said Beckett.

On Saturday, Beckett was robbed while attempting to deposit money at one of the ATMs at the Bank of America off Hampton Avenue at Chippewa Street.

“Happened about 9 o’clock [p.m.],” he said. “I was pulling in on this side. First in line to deposit money. I was looking at my phone to see what account I want to put it in.”

He says a minivan then pulled up into the same lot with at least three masked men inside.

“Two men opened my door and said, ‘Give me the money,’” said Beckett. “It was a struggle. This guy over here, [and] this guy over here. Got the money away from him. This guy got the money from me, and during this, I got punched in the face.”

Beckett says it was at some point while fighting back that one of them shot at his car and barely missed him.

“It went through the edge of my passenger seat. My elbow is probably 8 inches from it,” said Beckett. “I’m lucky to be alive today, and I don’t know why I fought. It’s just instinct.”

St. Louis Metropolitan Police said they are still investigating this robbery, as well as similar ATM robberies that took place near the South Hampton area a week ago on Jan. 23. One happened at the same Bank of America that night, and the other less than two miles away.

“3 thousand [they took]. Part of that was my tips, and part of it was money that I put back to pay some of my doctor bills and hospital bills,” said Beckett.

Beckett, who has been living in this part of South City for nearly 20 years, says while he considers this area relatively safe, it’s recent incidents like this that now have him living more cautiously.

“Even just getting out of my car to go to the gas station now or going to Schnucks or something. It’s a shame but [an] eye-opener,” he said.

While police are still investigating if this incident may be connected to the same suspects in the previous armed ATM robberies, Bank of America issued a statement in response to safety concerns:

The safety and security of our customers is a top priority. As a matter of policy, I cannot discuss specific security measures. Doing so could compromise security measures currently in place. We’re working with local law enforcement and continually evaluate our security measures.

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