One of two Jefferson County men shot by police during a car theft bust Wednesday night (Jan. 14) in Robertsville died later at an area hospital, authorities report.
Police identified the man who died as Michael Goebel, 29, of Byrnes Mill. The other man who was shot, Conrad Markmueller VI, 24, High Ridge, was still alive as of Thursday (Jan. 15), said Sgt. Al Nothum of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, which has taken over the investigation.
Nothum said he did not know Markmueller’s condition today (Jan. 16).
A woman, Brandi Chaffin, 24, Pacific, also was in the pickup when the two men were shot, but she was not hurt, authorities said.
Police recovered seven vehicles and a trailer at the scene that had been stolen from around the area between January 2014 and Jan. 14, 2015, Nothum said.
At about 9:15 p.m. Jan. 14, officers from a St. Louis County Police crime unit, along with deputies from the Jefferson County and Franklin County sheriff’s offices, gathered outside a detached garage at 635 Spring Drive in Robertsville, looking for Goebel, who was suspected in the vehicle thefts, Nothum said.
“When officers approached the garage, Goebel saw them, so he jumped in a large pickup that was inside the garage (with the two passengers inside) and plowed through the garage door,” Nothum said.
Another truck was parked outside the garage door, so Goebel rammed it with the pickup to push it out of the way, Nothum said.
He said an officer was standing behind the truck that was rammed, and he was knocked to the ground.
“(Goebel) was able to get through, between the garage and (the other) truck, and then he struck three patrol vehicles and continued on and struck other vehicles,” Nothum said. “That’s when officers felt their lives were in danger, and they fired upon the truck, striking it multiple times. The truck left the gravel road and ended up in a ditch. All the occupants were removed and EMS (emergency medical services) were called.”
Goebel and Markmueller were transported to area hospitals, and Goebel died, Nothum said.
Markmueller had been in the front of the pickup, and Chaffin was in the back, when it was fired upon.
Both Goebel and Markmueller were wanted on outstanding warrants, Nothum said.
Of the seven stolen vehicles and trailer located on the Robertsville property, four had been reported stolen from St. Louis County, including one from a business in Valley Park two from the Dave Sinclair dealership in St. Louis County and one from a Fenton location, St. Louis County Police reported.
No information was available about the other thefts.