Police chase ends in fiery crash in downtown St. Louis, suspect flees

ST. LOUIS - A police chase began early Monday morning in the Metro East and ended in downtown St. Louis with a crash and a fire. Police are still searching for the driver of the car that authorities were chasing.

According to officials, the pursuit began in Brooklyn, Illinois, and lasted ten minutes before ending in a crash downtown on 14th Street just after 1 a.m. Monday morning. There were tense moments overnight during this pursuit, despite no reported injuries.

Authorities say that the pursuit started after Brooklyn Police tried to pull over the SUV for a traffic stop but instead of stopping, the suspect's vehicle took off with Brooklyn Police in pursuit.

The chase came across the Poplar Street Bridge into St. Louis, then it went west on I-64 with the suspect's SUV getting off at Jefferson Avenue. Authorities say the SUV got back onto I-64 heading east, then got off on 14th Street, leading to the crash.

According to authorities, the SUV caught fire after crashing on 14th Street. It appeared that the suspect's vehicle likely crashed into a barricade after coming down the off-ramp from the highway. There was a second vehicle on 14th Street at the time of the crash, which did have damage to it.

Police say the suspect was able to get away after the crash by running from the scene. There is currently no detailed description of the driver who led police on the chase.

This is a developing story; FOX 2 will provide more information once it comes into the newsroom.