ST. LOUIS � Police in the St. Louis area are battling a rising number of carjackings.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported St. Louis police recorded 190 carjacking calls from January through November of 2017, more than double the number for all of 2014. St. Louis County had 57 carjackings last year, compared to 50 in 2016 and 39 in 2015.

St. Louis police Major Kenneth Kegel said carjackers typically go out in groups of three, and often commit several carjackings in one night. Many are between the ages of 15 and 24.

Kegel said carjackers sometimes follow a vehicle with a single occupant, waiting for that person to park.

Information from: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, http://www.stltoday.com