Man who had his Porsche stolen holds suspect at gunpoint

ST. LOUIS – Andre Tunstall is part owner of Luxe Menswear on Washington Avenue in St. Louis’s Downtown West neighborhood.

Tunstall said he’s worked hard for his money. When he realized someone stole his Porsche on Wednesday, he was desperate to find it. He posted a message on Facebook and within a few hours, a tipster sent a message indicating the vehicle was in an alley in the Baden neighborhood.

Tunstall called St. Louis police, filed a report, and then the officers left the scene. He waited with his car because it had a flat tire and needed a tow. He believes that’s when a man who was the thief returned. Tunstall said the man went to a dumpster as if he knew something was there. He said the man pulled the car’s key fob out of the dumpster and then tried to take the car.

Tunstall said he pulled out his own gun and ordered the man to the ground until the police returned.

“He had his life spared and that’s not anything to brag about,” Tunstall told KTVI. “It’s just for him to move forward and be a good father to his kids.”

Police charged Samuel Jamar Harris with first-degree tampering with a motor vehicle. Tunstall hopes the man held at gunpoint learns a lesson and turns his life around.

“Hopefully, this will be a new beginning for you and your family,” Tunstall said.

He also hopes anyone involved in a life of crime will learn something.

“I think they really need to understand that people out here work hard,” Tunstall said.

Court documents indicate Harris has a prior conviction for first-degree tampering.