Brett J. Pinion

A man wanted in connection with a shooting inside an O’Fallon bowling alley late Wednesday night was taken into custody early Thursday morning in Columbia and charged Friday.

Brett J. Pinion, 27, of Fairview Heights, was charged with three counts of felony aggravated battery (discharge of a firearm, deadly weapon and public place) and one count of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon. The aggravated battery (discharge of a firearm) charge is a Class X felony.

Pinion is being held at the St. Clair County Jail. Bail is set at $150,000.

O’Fallon police responded to St. Clair Bowl in the 5000 block of Collinsville Road shortly after 10:45 p.m. Wednesday for a report of shots fired. A male victim was shot inside the upstairs bar of the bowling alley. He was transported to an area hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

The shooting suspect, described only as a white male, drove away from the scene in a maroon 2008 Ford Taurus. Illinois State Police alerted area law enforcement to be on the lookout.

At about 12:30 a.m. Thursday, an ISP trooper observed the vehicle driving slowly in the area of Mule Road and Old State Route 3 and followed it into Columbia. Under heavy police presence, the vehicle pulled over at Midwest Petroleum, 1553 N. Main Street, and the suspect was ordered out of his car at gunpoint. Agencies assisting ISP in taking the suspect into custody included the Columbia Police Department, Monroe County Sheriff’s Department, Dupo Police Department, St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department, Fairview Heights Police Department, Shiloh Police Department and Troy Police Department.