St. Louis police officer one of two people injured in crash following drug bust

By Casey Nolen

KSDK -- St. Louis police say suspects in a moving van rammed a squad car during a south city chase this afternoon, sending two officers to the hospital.

It happened at Nebraska Avenue and South Broadway. It started with the Drug Enforcement Agency staking out a suspected meth house. That turned into a chase and for a time a man-hunt.

Around 2 p.m. Friday afternoon, the DEA says they had a suspected meth house under surveillance on Jefferson Avenue not far from where the crash happened.

When agents tried to stop two suspects as they left the house, they say the men took off in a yellow moving van.

The St. Louis police joined the chase and at Nebraska and Broadway a patrol car with two officers tried to block the street. Authorities say that did not stop the two suspects in the yellow truck. Agents say they rammed the squad car, with one of the suspects jumping out just before impact and taking off on foot.

"They were strategically placed on the road," said James Schroba with the DEA. "There was enough room for him to go around. He was traveling at a very high rate of speed, and chose to hit them straight on."

The DEA says they have captured the suspect who fled on foot.

The driver of the yellow truck, and the two police officers in the car were all taken to the hospital and treated for what is described as none life threatening injuries.