ST. LOUIS (KMOV) – Police said a small boy was in the backseat of a car when a man got into a standoff with police before shooting himself in the leg Tuesday night.
Authorities said they tried to stop a vehicle near the intersection of California and Chouteau around 11 p.m. after an officer spotted it traveling at a high speed.
The 2008 gold Chevrolet Malibu fled the scene and an officer began following. That’s when they heard several gunshots and saw a cloud of smoke coming from inside the vehicle.
The incident triggered a massive police response, which included a police helicopter circling the scene where the car finally stopped in the 900 block of Chouteau.
The driver refused to get out. The passenger in the vehicle, a 22-year-old woman, then threw out her purse, which contained a handgun. She exited the car.
Authorities said officers approached the vehicle and removed a 2-year-old child from the back seat.
Police said the suspect eventually out of the car clutching his leg from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Police said the man also shot through the windshield while the child was in the backseat.
No one was hurt except the gunman, who was transported to a local hospital. The boy was OK and was with his aunt Tuesday night.
Police believe the man was uncooperative because he was fighting with the woman in the car.
