A police chase that began in St. Louis on Thursday afternoon (Jan. 3) ended in Pevely after the pickup Metropolitan St. Louis Police officers were pursuing on I-55 exited onto Hwy. Z and crashed into another vehicle, authorities reported.
No one was hurt in the accident, Pevely Police Chief Tony Moutray said.
St. Louis Police said two suspects were taken into custody after the accident.
Moutray said the suspects – a 28-year-old House Springs man and 27-year-old St. Louis man – were in the pickup during the police chase.
The chase, which traveled south on I-55 through several municipalities, began when St. Louis Police attempted to stop a 1997 Ford F-250 because of an ongoing investigation, authorities said.
Air support assisted police officers during the chase before the pickup crashed into a 2018 Dodge Ram near the Hwy. Z exit. After that collision, the Ford ran off the road, authorities said.
Moutray said his department was alerted about the pursuit at about 3:30 p.m. when the Ford was on I-55 near the Richardson Road exit in Arnold.
Pevely officers were dispatched to the Hwy. Z exit ramp in case their help was needed, and the Ford exited the interstate there at about 3:38 p.m., he said.
The Ford slammed into the side of the Dodge, which got pushed into the concrete medium, and then the Ford went off the side of Hwy. Z about 200 to 300 feet from the accident, Moutray said.
The House Springs man was able to get out of the Ford and run away, but Pevely and St. Louis officers captured him after a short foot chase, Moutray said.
The St. Louis man was unable to get out of the Ford after the accident, and St. Louis Police took him into custody, Moutray added.
He said one of the men is a suspect in a statutory rape case in St. Louis, but he could not say which one.
He also said a 380-caliber pistol and a substance believed to be ecstasy were found in the Ford.
Moutray said Pevely Police will seek charges against the two men for resisting arrest, while St. Louis Police will handle the rest of the case.