Woman carjacked at gunpoint at Granite City Walmart

GRANITE CITY, Ill. - A woman was carjacked at gunpoint with her toddler strapped in the car seat. Thanks to her quick action, that little boy is safe.

Monday around 6:45 p.m., Angie Shields was in the Aldi parking lot on Lewis and Clark Boulevard and Granite Park Drive.

She was loading groceries into her blue 2017 Ford F150 when a black Ford SUV slowly drove past her.

She then drove a short distance to Walmart on West Pontoon Road and the same black car pulled in behind her truck.

"It's terrifying," Shields said. "I didn't see it coming."

Shields says there were at least two men in the SUV. She says they rolled down the windows and said something to her. She couldn't make out what they were saying, so she took a step closer. That's when she noticed the driver was holding a gun.

"As soon as he saw that I saw the gun, he immediately took his sweater and put it over his mouth," Shields said.

The driver then told Shields to hand over the keys to her truck.

"I said, 'My son is in the back of the truck,'" Shields said. "Then, he very sternly said, in some choice words, 'I don't care.' I yelled back at him, 'I'm going to grab my son.'"

And she did.

"I thought he was gonna shoot me," Shields said. "Thank God he didn't."

Shields gave the keys to the passenger in the SUV and the men took off in both vehicles.

"It wasn't our vehicle," Shields said. "It was our rental vehicle that was stolen."

Sheilds' husband was recently in a car accident. That's why they had the rental.

"The carjacking and the groceries stolen on top of that was just salt in the wound," said Lori Drake, whose husband is the pastor at CenterPointe Church in Collinsville. "My first response was how can we help them?"

Drake set up a YouCaring fundraiser for the Shields, who are members of the church. She says it's not just for the lost groceries but also to help with medical bills. In addition to the car accident, Sheilds' husband recently had surgery and has not been able to work.

"It's a really hard time for us right now," Shields said. "The Granite City community, our church family, I can't thank you guys enough."

This isn't the only recent report of a carjacking in the area. Granite City police believe thieves got away with a Dodge Charger near the same Walmart. That was in January.

Police say there will be additional officers assigned to the business district.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Granite City Police Department at (618) 877-6111.