ST. CLAIR COUNTY, Mo. — A man has been charged after a Fairview Heights officer was dragged by a car and injured on Thursday.
Jermain Piggee, 20, of St. Louis, has been charged with armed violence, aggravated battery to a peace officer resulting in great bodily harm, among other charges.
RELATED: Fairview Heights police officer injured after being dragged by car in parking lot of shopping mall
According to police, a Chevrolet Monte Carlo was parked on the sidewalk of St. Clair Square mall on Thursday. An officer noticed the car, ran the plates and discovered it was stolen out of St. Genevieve County.
Piggee came out of the mall and tried to get in the car, the Fairview Heights Police Department said in a press release.
The officer tried to stop him several times, but the suspect got into the car and started to drive away, dragging the officer who was partially inside.
The suspect intentionally crashed into the doors of JC Penney, police said. The officer was injured, along with a bystander who was struck by the car. The suspect ran inside the mall and was later taken into custody.
The officer was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The department said he is 30 years old and has been with the department for four years.
The bystander had minor injuries and didn't need medical attention.
The St. Clair County State's Attorney's Office said that Piggee had a gun and more than one gram of fentanyl, and he intended to deliver the fentanyl in Illinois.
Piggee is in the St. Clair County Jail on $750,000 bond.
OTHER LOCAL STORIES
