Why was Interstate 44 closed? Police chase burglary suspect for 10 miles before he shoots self
EUREKA, MISSOURI: Interstate 44 was closed in both directions near the Six Flags Amusement Park as a result of a police chase that lasted around 10 miles according to media reports. The highway was expected to be closed for at least four hours as a result of the same. Interstate 44 is a part of the longer Route 66 and although it is an even-numbered highway, meaning it is an east-west road, it follows a more southwest-northeast alignment.
The western terminus of Interstate 44 is at Wichita Falls, Texas; and its eastern terminus is at I-70 in St. Louis, Missouri. This happens to be one of the five interstate routes that were built to bypass Route 66. This route covers the section between Oklahoma City and St. Louis. Earlier, the entire stretch of I-44 in Missouri happened to be Route 66 but it was upgraded from two to four lanes.
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Why was Interstate 44 closed at Six Flags exit?
The reason why the Interstate was shut was that the chase lasted 10 miles and the officials had to employ various tools to slow the vehicle that they were chasing down. Spike strips and other tire deflation devices on the highway were deployed to ensure that a deputy was allowed to travel alongside the vehicle that was being chased.
At the end of the chase, the driver who happened to be the suspect that the police were chasing ended up shooting himself inside the vehicle after a female passenger got out of the vehicle causing the disruption and closure of I-44. The police, according to reports, pointed a handgun at the driver who refused to get out of the SUV even after the "verbal" contact.
Sheriff Steve Pelton said in a news release, "Negotiations began for a period of time before the suspect was transported to the hospital by EMS for injuries sustained from a self-inflicted gunshot wound."
Who is the suspect and why was he on the run?
As of now, the identity of the suspect has not been revealed to the media. The chase began at Franklin County, revealed Sheriff Pelton when deputies spotted an SUV in the Red Barn Mobile Home park near Villa Ridge. The make and model of the vehicle matched the description of one linked to a burglary in Washington. While it is uncertain if the driver was in fact the suspect that the police were trying to capture, a person who had seen the deputies got into the SUV and tried to make a run for it, despite the deputies trying to stop him. That is when the police began to chase the SUV and ended up on the Interstate.
How long will Interstate 44 remain closed?
According to the Missouri Department of Transportation, the incident was first reported at about 11.45 am and the closure was expected to last more than four hours. The traffic maps of the specific location when the closure was reported had shows heavy backup in each direction.