The St. Louis County man
accused of brutally beating another motorist in a road rage incident
near Ballpark Village in October now faces charges in an unrelated assault — one that took place before his alleged rampage downtown.
John Jacob Ehlinger, 35, was arrested last month on a charge of third-degree assault, a felony, court records show. The charges stemmed from an August 2023 incident in which Ehlinger was caught on surveillance video kicking and punching a casino security guard. The guard was beaten so badly he told prosecutors he now has permanent scarring on his face, missed work and has psychological trauma.
It was two months after that incident that Ehlinger was in downtown St. Louis around 8:30 a.m. and another motorist made the mistake of honking at him for running a red light. Ehlinger, who was driving a truck that belonged to a roofing company, reportedly got out of the truck and beat the other motorist so badly that he broke his nose, jaw and forehead. Ehlinger then grabbed a gun and fired shots in the direction of another vehicle, according to the police report.