Stolen Car Flies Off I-70, Lands in Embankment After Police Chase

St. Louis Police gave chase after a failed attempt at using spike strips at Grand and Chouteau

Jan 24, 2024 at 1:51 pm

A St. Louis City police officer inspects a vehicle that was involved in a high speed chase on Tuesday, January 23, 2023. ZACHARY LINHARES

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A high-speed police chase through north St. Louis yesterday ended with a 19-year-old driver in police custody — and his car flying off I-70 into a nearby embankment.

RFT photojournalist Zachary Linhares captured the aftermath as a St. Louis Metropolitan Police officer eyed the stolen Hyundai Elantra after it crashed.

Police say they were first alerted by the Real Time Crime Center that a stolen vehicle was traveling southbound on North Grand Boulevard, heading toward Washington Avenue, around 2:30 p.m.

"An officer utilizing an unmarked SUV monitored the stolen Elantra until other SWAT officers could position themselves to deploy spike strips," the police statement says. "SWAT was unsuccessful in deploying the spike strips at the intersection of Grand and Chouteau, and the Elantra then fled from SWAT officers southbound on Grand, then eastbound onto I-44."

Police pursued the car on the highway, and Linhares estimates it was going close to 90 mph, with police quite a bit further behind. Police say the driver then seemed to encounter "mechanical issues" that ended with the driver landing the car in an embankment at the intersection of westbound I-70 and Jennings Station Road.

The car had been reported stolen on January 18 from the 7700 block of Vermont, police say. The driver fleeing has not yet been named by police, but they say he was taken into custody and did not suffer any injuries.

In other words, just another day on I-70.

‘Only in Lemay’: Super-Slow St. Louis Police Chase Crawls for Miles [VIDEO]: One cop even waved as they slowly cruised past in less-than-hot pursuit

Families of People Killed by Law Enforcement Demand Police Reforms

Slideshow

The 21 Types of St. Louis Drivers

The Party PeopleThey’re twerking on the roof of the vehicle even while the driver’s going 65 on the highway — and yeah, that’s dangerous as hell, but this is St. Louis. These mean streets are going to get you one way or another. Sometimes people look around and think Why not go die while dancing?

The Guy Who Had No Idea KIAs Were Easy to Steal Back in 2019Give your sympathy to these poor drivers who are stuck with one of the most easily stolen cars in modern history. No wonder they drive around with an anti-theft device in their front seat and a chip on their shoulder. Worst of all, they still have two years left on their loan.

The Joy FM EnthusiastYes, this bumper sticker is the No. 1 sign of bad driving in St. Louis. Why? Repeated observation. We don’t make the rules. But get stuck behind a car with a Joy FM bumper sticker and you’ll quickly learn why cars like this are one of St. Louis’ great in-jokes.

The Gravois NASCAR DriverThey know they don’t need to go all the way to Daytona to get in on some hot race car action. They just hop in the whip and roll on over to Gravois Avenue where two lanes (and the ability to ignore red lights) is all they need to try to make everyone think they have a big penis. (Spoiler alert: The opposite happens.)

The Golf Cart BroThey're the life of the party, tooling around town in a golf cart that won’t go above 25 mph and tossing back brewskis all the way. The fact is: They're not driving that golf cart by choice. They just can’t get an actual car insured after all those DUIs.

The Suburban Kid Looking to ScoreThey’re driving their Dad’s SUV and are determined to get in and out of the dangerous city so fast, they’re knocking over traffic-calming devices and pedestrians like bowling pins. (They’re also probably high.) Give these drivers plenty of room.

The JeffCo VisitorThey’re complaining about crime in the city while driving to a Cardinals game with a gun in the back of their truck. Hey, guess what? That gun is gonna get stolen.

Click to View 21 slides

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About The Author

Sarah Fenske

Sarah Fenske is the executive editor of the RFT and its sister papers. She is the former host of St. Louis on the Air and continues to host its Legal Roundtable, as well participating as an occasional panelist on Nine PBS' Donnybrook. She lives in St. Louis.

Email Sarah Fenske