BALLWIN, Mo. — A police officer was shot Friday in Ballwin, Mo., a town about 30 minutes west of St. Louis. The shooting happened shortly before 11:00 a.m. According to Ballwin Police Chief Kevin Scott, the attack happened around 11:00 a.m. and was captured on video.
St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar says the suspect “ambushed” the officer, who is in critical but stable condition.
According to St. Louis Post Dispatch reporter Christine Byers, the officer was shot in the neck during a traffic stop. After a manhunt and foot chase, the suspect has been arrested.
The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged the suspect, Antonio Taylor, 31, with first-degree assault of a law enforcement officer, armed criminal action, and being a felon in possession of a weapon.
Investigators said Taylor was on parole for federal weapons violations. His record includes weapons offenses in Missouri and California, as well as a stolen car in Oklahoma.
The shooting comes amid heightened tension following an attack in Dallas in which five police officers were killed and seven others and two civilians were wounded.
Chief Jon Belmar didn’t offer any immediate word about the medical status of the officer wounded during the shooting , but Belmar tells KMOV-TV (http://bit.ly/29VeKKY ) the officer took “a hard hit.”
Details about what led to the officer’s initial interaction with the motorist weren’t disclosed. But Belmar says that after the shooting, the suspect sped away but abandoned that car and ran after it was spotted by another officer. The suspect was arrested after a short foot chase.
Earlier today we had an officer who was shot in the line of
duty. The officer is currently in critical
but stable condition. (1/2)— Ballwin Police Dept (@BallwinPolice) July 8, 2016
Sources tell us a Ballwin officer was shot in neck during traffic stop. Suspect in custody after foot chase. Story TK @stltoday
— Christine Byers (@ChristineDByers) July 8, 2016
Click here for FOX 2’s story and website.
Ambulance was accompanied by this Ballwin Police squad car as it raced onto hospital property. pic.twitter.com/jAbVhUb5Pe
— Mike Colombo (@Mike_Colombo) July 8, 2016
Police presence growing outside Mercy Hospital emergency room after reports a police officer was shot in Ballwin, MO pic.twitter.com/su3ruIIZr4
— Mike Colombo (@Mike_Colombo) July 8, 2016