UPDATED at 1:20 with charges.

STANTON • A teen from St. Louis was charged today after he fired shots at a car in Franklin County and kicked in the door of a cabin near Meramec Caverns campground, police said.

Xavier S. Minden, 18, was charged with discharging a firearm by shooting at or from a vehicle at an inhabitable structure and person, armed criminal action, burglary, first-degree assault and being a persistent offender with a prior offender. He is being held in lieu of $250,000 cash-only bond.

No one was injured, despite several shots being exchanged between Minden and two residents. A woman who was staying at the cabin confronted Minden after he barged in, and he told her to leave. That left the gunman in the cabin alone, and it took hostage negotiators about 15 minutes to convince him to surrender.

Police aren't sure what sparked the strange string of crimes.

At about 6:20 p.m. Monday, a man, 35, was driving south on Highway W with his two young children in the car, according to Franklin County Sheriff Gary Toelke. The man noticed a car traveling slowly in front of him. He thought it was an elderly couple being cautious. The car pulled off near the KOA Campground.

About a mile later, the man arrived home and pulled into his driveway near his mailbox, authorities said. He heard a pop. A bullet hit his car window.

"There was a bullet hole probably 8 to 10 inches from the baby's car seat," Toelke said.

Another bullet hit the victim's house, in the 400 block of Highway W in Stanton. The gunshots, police said, came from Minden, who they said was driving the car that had pulled over along the highway moments earlier.

The victim was going to chase after the car but decided against it. He was concerned about losing cell phone reception and didn't want to get into a chase with his kids in the car, Toelke said.

So he put his kids in the house, grabbed a handgun and called a neighbor. The neighbor grabbed a shotgun and both stepped outside.

About that time, the car Minden was in started coming back up the hill, authorities said. Minden honked at the victim and fired some more shots, authorities said. The victim and the neighbor both fired at the car.

Toelke said he didn't know how many shots were fired by the three.

The suspect drove off, and a search began.

The Franklin County Sheriff's Office called out the department's emergency response team. Searchers got help from the St. Louis County police helicopter and the Missouri Highway Patrol.

Police found the car abandoned near the gate of the Meramec Cavern property. Nearby, they saw Minden walking while holding a gun to his chin, authorities said. He walked toward a cabin, which police thought was vacant.

Minden kicked in the door to the cabin, authorities said. A woman who manages a restaurant at the parkgrounds was inside. She confronted the gunman, and he told her to leave. She ran out, unharmed.

A hostage negotiator talked to Minden for nearly 15 minutes and convinced him to surrender, authorities said. He was arrested, and police recovered a .40-caliber handgun.

Toelke didn't know what sparked the teen to start shooting.

Toelke said the 35-year-old man and his neighbor won't be facing any charges.

"What we have so far indicates they were defending themselves," he said.

Franklin County Maj. Mike Copeland said Minden, who has an address on Arendes Drive in St. Louis, has a prior criminal history. The car he had been driving had been stolen from the St. Louis area, authorities said.

Denise Hollinshed of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.

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EDITOR'S NOTE: An earlier version of this story had an incorrect spelling for the suspect's last name as provided by authorities. This version has been corrected.