ST. LOUIS – One of the newest members of Missouri’s House of Representatives was robbed at gunpoint Monday night.
Bruce Franks Jr. said he was sitting in his car in the parking lot of the Schlafly Tap Room at 2100 Locust Street when it happened. He says two men, one of the armed with a gun, opened the car door and told him to get out.
Franks was unharmed, but his car, phones and other possessions were stolen.
“I’m glad to be alive, my car and phones and stuff are replaceable! Glad to see my wife and kids…. Glad to be alive… I don’t have a phone, and I am OK!” Franks posted on Facebook late Monday night.
No suspect information has been given at this time.
The news of Franks’ robbery comes just weeks after the armed robbery of Sheena Greitens, wife of Gov.-elect Eric Greitens and incoming First Lady.
Franks said after the events of Monday night, his thoughts have turned to addressing gun violence.
“I was thinking about just how big the gun violence problem is in our neighborhoods, especially in the city,” he said in an interview with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “Whether it’s downtown or in the Central West End, whether it’s black, white, the governor’s wife, a newly elected state representative — it’s real for everybody. Criminals need to be held accountable, but we have to come together to address the problem from its root causes, which is lack of resources, education, job opportunities.”
Franks is set to take office in January as the new representative for Missouri House District 78.
Benjamin Peters was a reporter for The Missouri Times and Missouri Times Magazine and also produced the #MoLeg Podcast. He joined The Missouri Times in 2016 after working as a sports editor and TV news producer in mid-Missouri. Benjamin is a graduate of Missouri State University in Springfield.
