ST. LOUIS (AP) — Three people were killed and a fourth seriously injured Thursday when their car crashed and split in half during a pre-dawn police pursuit.
Police said the accident happened just before 3 a.m. Names had not been released. The victims — two men and a woman all in their 20s — were killed instantly. The fourth occupant, a man in his 20s, was hospitalized in serious but stable condition.
St. Louis police received several calls between 11 p.m. Wednesday and 2:30 a.m. Thursday about shootings, all in the same area of the city. In one case, bullets were fired into a home, though no one was hurt. Some of the witnesses described a dark-colored Nissan Maxima.
At 2:45 a.m., patrol officers spotted a Maxima in the same area, then saw an occupant holding what appeared to be a firearm. Officers tried to pull over the vehicle but it sped away.
Police gave chase and the Maxima crashed into concrete planters and a light pole at the Grand Boulevard bridge, a $22 million structure that reopened after renovations in July. The area is near Saint Louis University.
The accident, which sheared the Maxima at the hood, closed the busy roadway for hours.
Police say officers found a handgun along the route possibly tossed during the pursuit. No officers were hurt.