ST. LOUIS COUNTY, MISSOURI — A 63-year-old retired truck driver who got out of his car after a minor rear-end crash on Jennings Station Road to check on the people he had hit was beaten unconscious by four people who punched, kicked, stomped, and dragged him before stealing his keys, wallet, and a carful of Goodwill donations. He spent several days in the hospital with blood clots, a swollen jaw, swollen-shut eyes, and neck injuries requiring surgery.
Lance Jeffries was driving a 2025 Chrysler Caravan northbound on Jennings Station Road on September 19 when he rear-ended a 2013 Ford Escape waiting to make a left turn onto Shannon Avenue. Jeffries pulled over and got out to check on the occupants. According to charging documents, Davion Alfred, 30, punched Jeffries in the head. When he fell to the ground, the group repeatedly punched, kicked, stomped, and dragged him. Alfred then took Jeffries’ keys and wallet and the group rummaged through his Chrysler, taking trash bags filled with Goodwill donations. A fourth person, Tamara Logan, 48, arrived in the area after the crash and joined in, stomping Jeffries’ legs..
When officers arrived, Jeffries was unable to speak. His family was not notified until 10 p.m. that night that he was hospitalized. They learned the full extent of what happened after seeing footage online at his bedside. A bystander’s recording of part of the assault was shared widely across St. Louis and helped detectives identify Tamara and Martinez Logan as two of the four suspects.
“His eyes are swollen shut. He has neck injuries, also. His jaw is swollen,” said his daughter Valancia Jeffries. “He has blood clots in his leg and also in his stomach where he was kicked. So now he has to stay in the hospital so he can get surgery, and he’s in a lot of pain.”
She said her father simply wanted to do the right thing. “From what we know, they were angry because my dad hit the back of their car. When he got out of the car to check on the other party, they got out of the car angry and yelling at my dad, and they jumped on my dad.”
Family members described Jeffries as a quiet, retired family man who rarely drives and mostly stays home with his wife.
All four suspects admitted to their roles during the investigation. Alfred admitted to throwing the first punch, taking the keys and wallet, and searching the car. Moore admitted to kicking Jeffries on the ground. Martinez Logan, 25, admitted to kicking Jeffries in the face and dragging him from the road to the curb. Tamara Logan admitted to stomping his legs.
All four — Tamara Logan, Martinez Logan, Mary Moore, 26, and Davion Alfred — are charged with second-degree robbery, third-degree assault, and second-degree burglary.
All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Interviews courtesy of local media.
📸 Image(s) used under fair use for news reporting.
