Football player's carjacking ends with suspect's arrest

JENNINGS, Mo. -- A starting offensive lineman for the Baltimore Ravens did the right thing when he chose not to confront armed robbers carjacking his SUV, police said Thursday.

Bennie Anderson, 24, was in the St. Louis area visiting relatives Tuesday afternoon when the crime occurred. A shot was fired, but Anderson was not injured.

"He was pretty taken aback by the whole thing," Ravens spokesman Kevin Byrne said.

Rodney Patterson was being held on $100,000 on charges related to the carjacking and an alleged assault on officers trying to arrest him.

Jennings Lt. John Park Williams gave this account:

Anderson had just returned to his vehicle from a Walgreen's drug store when a car with at least three men pulled alongside his 2002 Chevrolet Suburban on the parking lot.

One of the men fired a shot through the rear window of their own car. The bullet missed Anderson -- police don't know if it was aimed at him or simply meant to scare him.

Rather than confront the armed criminals, the 6-5, 305-pound Anderson complied with their demands and surrendered his Suburban.

"He did what we would always recommend," Williams said. "He is a large individual, but he was very wise in giving up the vehicle."

Williams said the crime happened in daylight in a busy but usually low-crime area of Jennings. "He ended up being a victim, mostly because he had a nice car," he said.

Anderson graduated from the Cleveland Junior Naval Academy in St. Louis and Tennessee State. He signed with the St. Louis Rams as a rookie free agent in May 2000 but was cut in training camp.

He played with the XFL's Chicago Enforcers in 2001, then signed with Baltimore on June 14. Originally considered unlikely to make the team, Anderson, a right guard, ended up starting 13 regular-season games and both playoff games.

Patterson, who is also 24, is also a suspect in a robbery and shooting that happened Monday outside the Casino Queen in East St. Louis, Ill. The victim, a man in his 60s, remained in critical condition Thursday.

A loaded semiautomatic pistol found in Patterson's pocket appeared to fit the description of the gun used in the casino robbery, police said. Ballistics tests will be conducted on the bullets.

Patterson hasn't been charged in the casino robbery, but he faces several charges related to the carjacking and its aftermath.

The Suburban itself helped lead police to Patterson. After the carjacking, the vehicle was tracked by its OnStar satellite tracking system. The system pointed police to a location in nearby Wellston.

Wellston officer Christopher Clay saw the Suburban and the suspects behind a vacant house. The driver flashed a semiautomatic pistol at the officer and tried to run him down, police said. Clay fired two shots, striking the vehicle as it sped away.

A pursuit followed and ended when the Suburban collided with a bus. Patterson was captured, but the other suspects got away. The Suburban was badly damaged.

Patterson was charged with first-degree assault on a law enforcement officer, unlawful use of a weapon, armed criminal action, tampering with a vehicle and other charges.

Police were trying to determine if the robbery at the Casino Queen was connected to two others at St. Louis area casinos in the last week -- one at the Alton Belle in Alton, Ill., the other at the President Casino in downtown St. Louis.