Fight Over 4-Wheeler Leads to Wild Melee in St. Charles County

“I lost my shit,” says man accused of setting off a fight that involved a knife, a crowbar, fists and vehicular assault

Sep 1, 2023 at 11:10 am

COURTESY OF ST. CHARLES COUNTY JAIL

Matthew Douglas Van Buren had quite a Tuesday, police say.

An argument over a 4-wheeler turned into a melee earlier this week in St. Charles County. The man who started it is now facing multiple assault charges.

On Tuesday, August 29, according to a police probable cause statement, Matthew Douglas Van Buren, 34, grew irate when he was stopped from riding another man's 4-wheeler. Van Buren, whose address is listed in West Alton, then began trying to rip wires out of the vehicle and started shoving its owner.

Van Buren pulled out a knife and cut the vehicle owner's hand and arm with it.

According to statements given to police, Van Buren then began trying to cut his own throat with the knife — but the man he'd just been trying to stab prevented Van Buren from seriously hurting himself.

After that altercation, Van Buren then attacked a woman who was present on scene. When a 14-year-old male then came outside and tried to stop that attack, Van Buren attacked the teen, punching him and putting him in a chokehold.

The woman who had been attacked by Van Buren grabbed a crowbar and tried to use it to stop his attack on the young man, striking Van Buren repeatedly with it. Van Buren chased the woman. She got behind the wheel of a truck and rammed Van Buren with it.

Van Buren then stole another truck that was parked nearby and fled.

However, around the same time that police arrived at the scene, Van Buren returned. He admitted to police he'd drunk around six beers earlier that day but denied everything that others on the scene accused him of. Police arrested him anyway.

While locked up in St. Charles County Jail, Van Buren was recorded on the phone speaking to a woman who said, "You got yourself into a whole lot of fucking shit this time, what the hell happened?"

"What did you hear happened?" Van Buren asked. "Who told you about trouble and what trouble?"

The woman said that she heard Van Buren got "shit faced," got in a fight with a man over a 4-wheeler, got in a second fight with a different man, was hit by a truck and then stole another truck.

Van Buren replied, "Well, I don't remember the whole taking-the-truck shit, but yeah, that's pretty much what happened and I lost my shit."

In addition to three assault charges, Van Buren faces one charge for unlawful use of a weapon.

Van Buren has no future court date listed as of Friday morning. He remains at the St. Charles County Jail.