Pregnant woman and husband shot in St Louis road rage incident

A Missouri family was driving home from a prenatal appointment with their two-year-old child when a dispute over driving behaviour allegedly escalated into a violent shooting that left a pregnant woman with a gunshot wound to the back.

Prosecutors have charged Anthony Lee-Armstrong, 19, with multiple felonies in connection with the 17 May incident in St Louis, including first-degree assault, armed criminal action, unlawful use of a weapon, and property damage, according to documents obtained by PEOPLE.

How the confrontation began

The family was travelling near Russell Boulevard and South Jefferson Avenue when two vehicles — identified as a black Honda sedan and a Volkswagen sedan — allegedly cut them off whilst entering a QuikTrip car park, according to a probable cause statement.

Investigators said the male victim followed both vehicles into the car park and confronted the drivers about what he believed was reckless behaviour before returning to his own car and leaving the area.

A terrifying pursuit through the streets

The situation rapidly deteriorated when the two vehicles allegedly began pursuing the family's car through the streets, at times driving into oncoming traffic to keep pace with them.

As the family attempted to escape by executing a U-turn, gunshots were fired, according to the probable cause statement.

The pregnant victim, who was 11 weeks into her pregnancy at the time, told police she heard multiple gunshots before feeling a sharp pain in her back.

She sustained a gunshot wound to the rear of her upper left back. The male victim suffered shrapnel injuries to his shoulder and chin, and the family's vehicle sustained significant ballistic damage.

Emergency call and police response

Following the shooting, the woman called 999 and reported that "2 black vehicles occupied by white males just shot up her vehicle."

She also told dispatchers that she had been shot in the shoulder, that the male victim may have been injured, and that a child had been inside the car at the time. When officers arrived, both adults were taken to the hospital for treatment.

Surveillance footage and licence plate technology crack the case

Authorities said surveillance footage captured the family's vehicle being followed by the two suspect cars through the area.

Video obtained from a nearby business allegedly showed gunshots being fired from the driver's seat of a Volkswagen sedan as the victims' vehicle travelled ahead of it.

Investigators used licence plate reader technology to identify the Volkswagen as being registered to Lee-Armstrong.

The pregnant victim subsequently identified Lee-Armstrong in a police line-up as both the driver of the Volkswagen and the person she alleged had fired the shots.

A witness travelling inside the Honda involved in the original confrontation also identified Lee-Armstrong as the Volkswagen's driver.

Authorities further alleged that Lee-Armstrong made "racist statements" towards the couple during the incident.

Prosecutors accused Lee-Armstrong of knowingly discharging a weapon from the Volkswagen, causing injury to one of the victims, according to a criminal complaint obtained by PEOPLE.