EDWARDSVILLE — Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Haine on Tuesday announced that he charged two men in connection with the shooting and armed robbery of a woman in Granite City. Semaj J. Bass, 20, of St. Louis, and Brian L. Doss Jr., 19, of St. Louis both are charged with one count of aggravated battery with a firearm, a class X felony punishable by 6 to 30 years in prison, and one count of armed robbery, a class 1 felony punishable by 4 to 15 years in prison.
The charges allege that Doss and Bass fired a .22-caliber rifle at the woman on Sept. 29 as she walked in the area of Grand Avenue and State Street, and demanded her property – a cell phone and purse.
The woman survived a gunshot to the back. Haine said he expects the facts of the case to show that, after the robbery and shooting, the suspects fled in their vehicle, but police used data from Automated License Plate Readers to track the vehicle back to St. Louis. The case was investigated by Granite City Police Department.
Associate Judge Ronald R. Slemer set bail for the defendants at $300,000 apiece. This charge, as well as the statements made herein, are based upon probable cause.
The defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
