A 17-year-old from St. Louis was arrested after he crashed an SUV in Arnold and then reportedly tried to run away from police. The SUV the man was driving had been reported stolen out of Joplin, and stolen tools allegedly were found in the vehicle, Arnold Police reported.
At about 3:50 a.m. April 25, an officer reportedly saw the teenager driving a 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee between two lanes on Jeffco Boulevard near Church Road. The SUV matched the description of a vehicle believed to have been used in a series of vehicle break-ins in Webster Groves, the report said.
The teen pulled into a closed business at 1845 Jeffco Blvd. and parked on the lot, and the officer checked the license plate and discovered the vehicle had been reported stolen. The officer turned on his lights, and the teen allegedly pulled onto Jeffco Boulevard and drove south before running off the road near Betty Drive and overturning into a ditch, according to the report.
The teen got out of the SUV and reportedly tried to run away, and the officer used a stun gun to stop him. In addition, an officer allegedly found two Dewalt reciprocating saws in the Jeep, and investigators believe the saws may have been used to cut catalytic converters off vehicles, the report said.
The teen was turned over to juvenile authorities, Cpl. Brett Ackermann said.