By Police1 Staff
ST. LOUIS, Mo. — A crash during a pursuit sent a Kinloch officer to the hospital and caused a home to catchfire.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Officer Robert E. Brooks, 49, attempted to pull over a vehicle that refused to stop. The suspect crashed into the officer’s cruiser, went airborne and then slammed into a house, causing it to catch fire, St. Louis County police told the news site.
“The car went through a wall and nearly into the basement,” Berkeley Fire Department Chief Kelly Hughes said to the news site.
The residents of the home were evacuated safely. The suspect fled on foot.
Brooks was sent to the hospital with serious injuries. Brooks’ passenger, 31-year-old Matthew K. Johnson, suffered moderate injuries. Johnson is a civilian who was riding with Brooks as part of the department’s ride-along program.
The suspect’s identity and the reason behind the initial stop have not been released. The suspect is still at large. No further information was available.
Wreckers moving three cars that were smashed up during the Berkeley house fire incident. #TISL pic.twitter.com/HuG2e5rg9a
— John Henry (@JohnHenryKSDK) May 13, 2016