A St. Louis police officer discharged their weapon in a confrontation with a person driving a stolen vehicle on Friday afternoon. The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department reported the incident without any reported injuries, and the suspect remains at large. According to FOX 2 Now, SLMPD Major Janice Bockstruck provided a timeline during a news conference, stating that the events unfolded around 1:30 p.m. when detectives came upon the stolen car in the 5100 block of Ridge Avenue in the Academy/Sherman Park neighborhood.
The vehicle was previously wanted for an alleged assault on law enforcement officers from another jurisdiction. Per First Alert 4, police described the suspect exiting the vehicle and briefly visiting a front porch of a nearby residence. When detectives attempted an apprehension, the person fled to a rear alley and reentered the stolen car, eventually driving toward an officer, who then fired shots.
In the moments that followed, the stolen car turned and continued through a vacant lot. The KSDK report adds that the SLMPD utilized Metro Air Support and found the vehicle abandoned a short distance away. A search for the suspect ensued, and the department has urged the public to come forward with any information that could lead to an arrest.
The number of shots fired or the extent to which the suspect vehicle may have been hit remains unclear. "The detectives then attempted to approach that person to take them into custody. That person then fled back to the rear alley and entered the vehicle that was parked in a rear yard of a residence," Major Janice Bockstruck explained in a statement obtained by First Alert 4.
