WRIGHT CITY, Mo. — The manhunt in Wright City Tuesday for a suspect who police believe is in possession of a gun and body armor has ended.
According to Lieutenant Tim Matthews with the Wright City Police Department, the search for the suspect ended at about 1:30 p.m.
Matthews said at 5:28 a.m., the department received a call for a stolen Ford F-150 truck. About 10 minutes later, police spotted the stolen truck. He said the suspect vehicle fled after being spotted, and ran one Wright City police vehicle off the road and struck another.
The suspect is wanted for assault on law enforcement for the incident involving the Wright City police vehicles and tampering with a vehicle, Matthews said.
Matthews said at 6:28 a.m., an hour after being reported stolen, police tracked the truck via GPS to Wright City Cemetery on North Elm Street. After a search of the area, they located the vehicle at about 8:30 a.m., according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, which assisted Wright City and Warren County law enforcement with the search.
The suspect reportedly took a pistol and ballistic vest that belonged to the vehicle's owner when he fled, MSHP said.
Matthews said they are following up on leads in the area related to the chase.
Wright City police asked residents to avoid the area of N. Elm near State Highway J and the Wright City Cemetery as a K-9 unit and air support joined the search for the suspect Tuesday morning.
It was unclear if the stolen items belonged to a law enforcement officer.
Liberty Christian Academy was placed on a modified lockdown as a precaution due to police activity in the area. As of 2:30 p.m. they were still in a modified lockdown. The Academy said they would be doing a modified release of students at the end of the school day.
"To be clear, the lockdown measure is precautionary in nature due to relative proximity to the scene. There is no direct threat to the school or cause for parental concern," Wright City police said in a Facebook post. "WCPD Command staff is in direct contact with School Administrators and will provide notification once the scene is secure."
This is a developing story. It will be updated as more information becomes available.
