St. Louis Man Accused of Robbery on Gateway Arch Grounds

ST. LOUIS - A St. Louis man has been accused in an indictment of a robbery on the grounds of Gateway Arch National Park.

Thomas Durgins, 19, was indicted Wednesday in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on one count of robbery and one count of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. The indictment accuses Durgins of stealing money and shoes from someone on the Arch grounds on Feb. 1, 2026, at gunpoint. Durgins was arrested Wednesday and appeared in court Thursday, where he pleaded not guilty.

A motion seeking to have Durgins held in jail until trial says he had arranged online to buy shoes, but instead produced a firearm and robbed the seller.

Charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Szczucinski is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.