MISSOURI OFFICER STRUCK BY CARE OF FLEEING SUSPECT

A Clayton, Missouri patrol officer was grazed by the car of a fleeing suspect Tuesday morning July 24. The incident happened in the 6300 block of Southwood Ave., just off of Skinker around 2:00 a.m. on Tuesday. The patrol officer spotted the man trying to break into a car in a garage.

The officer was about 20 feet away from the parked car when the man jumped into the van and hit the officer as he was leaving the scene. The officer fired seven shots at the suspect. Police did arrest a second person they say was helping the suspect. Apparently he ran down the alley just as the man took off in the minivan.

Chief Tom Byrne of the Clayton Police said that the neighborhood is not a high crime area. “I say this all the time because it’s the truth, we live in a mobile society,” said Byrne. “If you live off Skinker, which is a major thoroughfare, and somebody turns onto one of those streets, stuff can happen.”

The suspect’s vehicle is described as a dark green Dodge or Chrysler Minivan. The officer fired 7 shots at the vehicle, and the windshield and side-window are shot out. There are probably bullet holes in the side of the vehicle as well. The officer who was struck is expected to be okay.