Maryland Heights police are searching for a 22-year-old man who may be armed with a gun, and they are telling residents near Oberlin Drive and Bennington Place to stay inside until the search is over. The man, identified by police as Demontinez Spruill, is wanted for domestic violence.
According to KMOV, officers have focused their search on the area surrounding Oberlin Drive and Bennington Place. Police described Spruill as a Black man with short dreadlocks who was last seen wearing all-blue clothing, according to First Alert 4.
Residents Told to Shelter in Place
Police urged people living in the area to stay indoors and avoid the search area entirely until further notice, per the same report. Anyone who spots anything suspicious has been asked to call 911 rather than approach.
A Tense Few Weeks for the Suburb
This is not the first time this month that Maryland Heights police have had officers chasing an armed suspect through the area. On October 1, police said two suspects fled after an officer-involved shooting in Maryland Heights, leading to a pursuit that ended in nearby Bridgeton, per First Alert 4's earlier coverage. One suspect from that incident was taken into custody and transported to a hospital with minor injuries, while the remaining suspect was described as a Black male with shoulder-length dreadlocks wearing dark pants. It is not established whether that earlier case is connected to Tuesday's search for Spruill.
Fox 2 Now also reported on the search for the possibly armed man in Maryland Heights, underscoring that local outlets are treating the situation as an active public safety concern. For now, the message from police is simple: stay inside, avoid the area, and call 911 if something seems off.
