ST. LOUIS — A teen who had previously escaped from the Juvenile Detention Center in St. Louis was struck and killed by a car Tuesday morning.
St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department Chief John Hayden held a media briefing to give details on the incident.
At around 8:30 a.m., St. Louis police detectives working undercover surveillance were following a car with a 21-year-old woman and 17-year-old boy inside near Broadway and Biddle Street, which is just north of downtown. The car hit an embankment and the two got out and started running along Broadway, Hayden said.
The woman and teen then got onto the Interstate 70 ramp and ran into the westbound lanes. The teen was then hit and killed by a car. Police have not been able to locate the woman.
The driver who hit the teen was not involved in the police investigation, the police chief added.
Hayden said undercover officers were tracking the car because it was linked to a juvenile who escaped from the detention center. He added that no shots were fired during the incident.
Watch Hayden's briefing in the video below:
Family members identified the teen as Martez Sipes, and police confirmed his identity Friday. Sipes escaped from the juvenile facility on Sept. 4. At the time, he was being held on charges including second-degree assault, tampering with a motor vehicle and escape or attempted escape from custody with a deadly weapon.
In total, 10 juveniles have escaped from the facility since September in three separate incidents. The incidents occurred Sept. 4, Oct. 16 and Nov. 16. Five juveniles are back in custody and four are still unaccounted for.
This is a developing story and will be updated as 5 On Your Side confirms more information.