3 minors arrested, Maplewood police open fire on stolen Mercedes

MAPLEWOOD, Missouri – Two police officers opened fire on a stolen Mercedes as it sped toward them in the St. Louis area Sunday night, according to a statement from Maplewood police. Three minors were arrested after the vehicle’s occupants fled and crashed the stolen car.

At around 11:30 p.m., Maplewood police officers searched for the stolen vehicle and found it behind an apartment complex in the 7200 block of Zephyr Place. Two officers then abandoned their vehicles to investigate.

The officers approached the stolen car on foot and then the vehicle accelerated and drove toward them, the police said in a written statement.

“Fearing imminent danger of death or serious bodily harm, the officers fired their service weapons,” the statement said.

The Mercedes sped down a narrow driveway, hit a concrete barrier and collided with a police vehicle and several other parked cars before crashing into a fence, police said.

“Several firearms were recovered at the scene,” the police statement said. “None of the youths or police officers were injured in the incident.”

Investigators are still in the early stages of investigating the matter, but more information will be released as the investigation progresses.

Anyone with information regarding this incident can call the Maplewood Criminal Investigation Division at 314-646-3617 to speak with investigators about the case.

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Resources for victims of crime:

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Better Family Life is a nonprofit community development organization dedicated to “stabilizing inner-city neighborhoods.” One aspect of their mission is a gun violence de-escalation program. For more information, call 314-381-8200 or visit https://www.betterfamilylife.org/

Life Outside of Violence “helps people injured by knife attacks, gun attacks or assaults get the treatment, support and resources they need to find alternatives and break the cycle of violence.” For more information, call 314-327-6697 or email [email protected]

The Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis operates an anti-crime program called the Safety Net for Youth Initiative, developed in partnership with Saint Louis Public Schools to provide assistance to at-risk youth. For more information, visit https://www.ulstl.com/anti-crime-initiative.html

Cure Violence is an international organization recently established in several St. Louis neighborhoods. Violence interrupters are trained to deescalate violent situations in their own communities. For more information, visit https://cvg.org/