Clayton — A month after being sworn in as the 11th chief of the St. Louis County Police Department, Colonel Juan Cox is taking a hard line on rising youth crime in the region.
The pressure to address the issue intensified after a massive, out-of-control pool party on the 1700 block of Prendergast Lane in Spanish Lake earlier this month ended in gunfire. St. Louis County police officers dispatched to the scene were met with chaos as more than 100 minors set off fireworks, ran through neighborhood lawns, and trespassed on private property.
At a nearby intersection, as officers worked to disperse another large crowd of teens throwing fireworks near police vehicles, an officer fired his weapon after perceiving a threat from a vehicle. Three teenagers were injured in the incident, and nine minors were taken into custody…