Today’s “How to Live in St. Louis” tip: When you’re going to hang out at a local casino, don’t talk to anyone. They will eventually rob you.

Today’s other “How to Live in St. Louis” tip: Install hidden cameras.

…ok, one more “How to Live in St. Louis” tip: Living in West County won’t save you.

A couple’s Brentwood home was invaded by four men they met the night before at the Lumiere Place casino, but the plan failed and they were arrested while their hiding spot from police, and subsequent take down was recorded by a small semi-hidden camera used to animal tracking. …also we’re talking about four black dudes in wife beaters, running up to a house in “White Guy in Sweater Vest Town” while leaving their still idling car in the street, so it’s not like their plan was exactly stealth to begin with.

Brentwood Police Chief Steve Disbennett said today that officers arrested three men about 8 a.m. Sunday after they and a fourth man forced their way into a home in the 9400 block of Parkside Drive to rob two men who live there.

Two of the suspects were captured after the crime on a hidden camera designed to capture images of wildlife. Jacob Schuh, 30, had set up his battery-powered “Primos Truth Cam 46” last weekend in hopes of finding out what animal had been getting into his garbage cans. He said he was surprised when he looked at his photos Sunday and saw the robbery suspects.

“I almost didn’t believe it,” Schuh said. “It was like, what the hell is this?”

The four suspects apparently had met two of the victims who live at the home the previous evening at the Lumière Place casino in downtown St. Louis, Disbennett said. Police believe the robbers followed the victims home to Brentwood after the victims had won several hundred dollars at one of the casino’s craps tables.

While of course the video capture didn’t aide in the direct arrest of the three thieves, the video may have helped the police ID the fourth assailant. Which begs the question: If it wasn’t the video that alerted the cops, how the hell did they get there so fast?

Enter KTRS’ McGraw Millhaven.

Disbennett said police responded to the block after a witness — radio host McGraw Milhaven — spotted the four men acting suspciciously. They walked down the block and approached the house after leaving their car a few houses down the block with the engine running. Once they got to the house, some went in and others stayed outside, appearing to be lookouts, according to Milhaven, a KTRS-AM morning radio host who had been visiting a friend on the block Sunday morning.

So basically Millhaven is Batman. He’s not armed with little gadgets though, just a keen eye, a cell phone, and the ability to make you think you’re back from commercial, but he’s actually just doing a live spot before talking about some news bit (probably this…all morning long) and then kicking it to another commercial break. We can’t imagine how long that 911 call was.

via STLToday