ST. LOUIS — Police are investigating after an officer fired two shots at a suspicious car that backed up and hit him in north St. Louis.
Shortly before 9 p.m., police said officers in plain clothes were monitoring a vehicle near Euclid and Penrose that was reported for having stolen plates. The plates were classified as "felony fleeing" and police considered the people inside to be armed and dangerous.
When the officers saw the car starting to leave, they threw down a spike strip. The car stopped before hitting the strip and the driver and passenger put their hands up, St. Louis police said during a news conference at the scene Thursday night.
The officers assumed the suspects were giving themselves up, so they approached the car. As they approached, police said the driver revved the engine and started backing up toward the officers. At that time, one of the officers fired two shots at the vehicle. The driver continued in reverse and clipped an officer in the leg, police confirmed.
The driver got away, heading north on Euclid. Police are still searching for the gray BMW. They did not have any further information about the car. Police said the suspects never showed a weapon, but the "armed and dangerous" classification is based on the felony fleeing classification of the stolen license plates.
The officer is being treated at an area hospital and is expected to recover.
Lt. Col. Rochelle Jones explained that the officers involved are anti-crime officers who were working in the neighborhood when the incident occurred.
"What they do, they are in plain clothes, and we are tracking your carjackers. Your serious, very serious hard criminals," Jones said.