ST ANN, Mo. — A St. Ann police officer was rushed to the hospital for surgery and is expected to survive after he crashed into a telephone pole while responding to another crash involving a police vehicle and a stolen car Tuesday night.
A spokesman with the St. Ann Police Department said the crash happened after a different officers car was intentionally hit by a man driving a stolen car.
The spokesman said an officer pulled over a stolen vehicle at around 8:45 p.m. When the officer got out of his car and approached the stolen car, the driver of the car reversed, intentionally hit the police car and sped off.
The officer got back into the car and tagged the car with a StarChase tracker, and ended the chase.
Another officer in the area working to investigate stolen vehicles turned on his emergency lights and attempted to get to the scene of the crash, but hit a civilian vehicle. While trying to get out of the way of the car, the officer swerved and ended up hitting a telephone pole at the intersection of Adie Road and Lee Lane, close to Northwest Plaza.
The officer was rushed to Mercy Hospital with what St. Ann Police Chief Aaron Jimenez said were severe injuries. A department spokesman said that officer was in surgery and is expected to survive.
St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell released the following statement Wednesday morning:
'Last night, while responding to a call, a St. Ann Police Officer was involved in a car crash. While the officer’s injuries are very serious, we are thankful they do not appear to be life threatening.
'Out of respect for his family, the St. Ann Police Department has not yet publicly identified the officer. From all of us at the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, we wish the officer and everyone else involved in this incident a speedy recovery.'
A spokesman for the department said they were able to track the stolen car to a field in St. Ann. The spokesman said they have officers and police dogs searching the area for the suspect.
The spokesman said the driver of the civilian vehicle suffered minor injuries. Another person was in the civilian car at the time of the crash but was not injured.