ST. LOUIS – Two bystanders were injured after a pursuit by St. Ann police ended in the City of St. Louis this morning.
St. Ann police pursued a vehicle after the suspect in the vehicle pointed a gun at a police officer. The pursuit ended near North Florissant and St. Louis Avenue.
The vehicle they were pursuing was involved in an accident, police said. The suspect vehicle then hit a second vehicle with at least three adults inside and possibly three children inside.
According to St. Ann police, the suspect was considered armed and dangerous and was wanted for felony fleeing and failure to yield.
Police told 5 On Your Side they have pursued the suspect before, but this time they kept up with him. The suspect was armed at the time of the pursuit.
St. Ann Police Chief Aaron Jimenez said his officers made the right decision.
“Look at all the shootings in the city,” Jimenez said. “Look at all the homicides. You don't have that here in St. Ann. The reason why is our proactive policing. If we stop pursuing, if we quit being proactive, you're going to see our crime in St. Ann start to rise and our residents don’t want that.”
He said the suspect, 18, had a gun that was stolen out of St. Louis County. The car he was driving belonged to his mom.
Some say St. Ann’s pursuit policy is too aggressive, and they worry someone could get seriously hurt.
“Never worth it to involve innocent people,” said Mike Baldwin, who saw the accident. “I think they should be banned. I think St. Ann should be banned out of city limits.
Police said there were no life-threatening injuries.
This is a developing story and will be updated as 5 On Your Side receives more information.
