The federal government has filed an immigration detainer against the suspect with ties to the country of Mexico who is accused of trying to carjack two separate Columbia motorists in broad daylight early Tuesday afternoon, before leading police and Missouri state troopers on a chaotic chase to Jefferson City.
Boone County prosecutors have filed six felonies against 30-year-old Josue Lopez, who lives in Camdenton. Lopez is scheduled to make his initial court appearance this afternoon at 1 at the Boone County Courthouse. Court documents say Lopez does not have a Missouri ID and that he was found with a Mexican ID card at the time he was captured.
Court documents outline the two chaotic carjacking attempts.
The first one happened at about 1 pm Tuesday at the busy Break Time convenience store on East Broadway, across the street from Panera bread. Lopez allegedly tried to carjack a vehicle with a child inside, telling the child “we’re leaving”, according to court documents.
The next one happened about 15 minutes later on busy Conley road. The three-page Columbia Police Department’s probable cause statement says Lopez tapped on a driver’s window, before pulling a man from the vehicle, dragging him into a busy parking lot and punching him in the face multiple times. Court documents indicate a witness saw the beating and grabbed his firearm from his person vehicle and approached Lopex while holding the firearm in the air. Lopez escaped to his own vehicle and then allegedly led numerous law enforcement officers on a high-speed pursuit that ended near the Jefferson City airport.
Lopez is jailed without bond. The Boone County Sheriff’s Department has not posted a mug shot of the suspect, at this time.
