Accused carjacker realizes too late he’s trying to steal a police car, Missouri cops say

A suspected Missouri carjacker realized too late that the vehicle he was trying to steal was a police SUV, and his would-be victims were officers, St. Louis police told news outlets.

Officers were responding to a shots fired call in downtown St. Louis, near the intersection of Chouteau Avenue and South 7th Street around 3 a.m. on March 19, KMOV reported.

A 27-year-old man walked out into the street, blocking the SUV — which was fully marked — and moved up to the passenger side, aiming a gun at the two occupants, according to KTVI.

The officers drove away to a safe distance “while the suspect simultaneously discovered he was attempting to carjack a fully marked police car,” police told the outlet. “The suspect took off running.”

The two officers told dispatch what happened and gave a description of the suspect, KSDK reported.

A short time later, officers found the man about a block away and he was arrested in a restaurant parking lot, the TV station reported.

This story was originally published March 20, 2022 at 4:01 PM with the headline "Accused carjacker realizes too late he’s trying to steal a police car, Missouri cops say."