Prosecutors say man shot East St. Louis MetroBus driver then fired on another bus
Investigators on Thursday announced criminal charges against a man they believe shot a MetroBus driver in St. Louis last week.
Jonathan Cobb, 33, a resident of East St. Louis, has been in critical condition at a St. Louis hospital since last Friday night, when he was struck by gunfire in the 3400 block of Lucas and Hunt Road. The MetroBus he was driving crossed into the oncoming lane and struck another vehicle and a utility pole. None of the passengers were injured.
The Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis on Thursday announced that Isaiah L. Houston, 30, of St. Louis is facing 17 criminal charges in connection with the shooting.
Houston fired at the bus form the PT Cruiser. He shot at another MetroBus minutes later, Sam Alton of the St. Louis County State’s Attorney’s office said during a press conference Thursday.
Houston has been charged with two counts of unlawful use of a weapon, one count of first-degree assault, three counts of armed criminal action and 11 counts of misdemeanor assault on the 11 passenger on Cobb’s bus.
Houston was taken into custody by North St. Louis police on Monday, shortly after Investigators released security camera images of a red PT Cruiser believed to be connected to a suspect in the shooting.
Alton said that a detective working with the Major Case Squad spotted the car and arrested Houston after he crashed into a police cruiser with two detectives inside.
A rifle was recovered from the backseat of the PT Cruiser. It was a match to shell casings recovered near the scene of the shooting, Alton said.
Cobb’s family expressed relief that an arrest had been made, but continued their plea for justice, asking the public to come forward with any information that could assist with a conviction.
Charna Wooten, Cobb’s sister, told the Belleville News-Democrat Wednesday that her brother remains in critical condition, but has made some improvement. She said she does not know why Cobb was targeted.
Cobb was born and raised in East St. Louis and is the father to twin daughters, who are about a year-and-a-half old. He’s been a MetroBus driver for about nine years, his sister said.
“He is a great person. He is business-minded and very intelligent. He loves to have good times,” Wooten said in an interview. “He is a music producer and manager for several local artists. He is a DJ and is well-known as D.J. Traxx.”
