St. Ann (MO) police converged near the Buzz Westfall Plaza in Jennings following a police chase Thursday that resulted in a detective being wounded. Later that evening, St. Ann Police Chief Aaron Jimenez clarified the officer accidentally shot himself and is expected to survive.
According to Jimenez, police have been investigating a series of home break-ins and car thefts for the past several months.
“These criminals are breaking into people’s homes all over the area, late at night, when people don’t even know, stealing their keys and stealing their cars and taking off with them,” he said.
On Wednesday night, police apprehended a person suspected in those crimes. This individual gave them information on two accomplices living in Ferguson.
On Thursday afternoon, St. Ann police went to a residence in Ferguson to arrest those two accomplices. They took one suspect into custody before the other fled in a stolen vehicle. This person smashed their stolen car into police vehicles before getting away and leading authorities on a chase.
This suspect eventually crashed into a bystander vehicle. The bystander vehicle collided with the police car and the detective accidentally shot himself in the thigh as a result.