Man Accused of Choking, Assaulting Woman on Gateway Arch Grounds

ST. LOUIS - A man has been accused of strangling and assaulting a woman on the grounds of Gateway Arch National Park.

Darrion Lamont Evans, 20, of Belleville, Illinois, was indicted Wednesday by a grand jury in U.S. District Court in St. Louis with one count of assault by strangulation and two counts of interstate domestic violence, including allegations that he assaulted the victim after causing her victim to travel across state lines. He appeared in court Thursday and pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The indictment accuses Evans of strangling the victim, who he had been dating, on April 28, 2025.

A motion seeking to have Evans held in jail until trial says he took the victim from Belleville to the Arch grounds without her knowledge or consent, and then hit and strangled her. National Park Rangers found her in a vehicle parked on a service road after the assault, the motion says.

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.

Each count is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both prison and a fine.

The National Park Service investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine Hoag is prosecuting the case.