Policeman injured in high speed chase

A man being pursued by the Missouri State Highway Patrol and a deputy from the Boone County Sheriff’s Department were injured in a high- speed car chase Friday afternoon on Highway 63.

Deputy Adam Burks was treated and released from University Hospital with “bumps and bruises,” Major Tom Reddin said. But neither the name nor the condition of the other man injured was available.

The chase started at West Brook and Highway 63 when a state trooper clocked the suspect’s car traveling over 90 mph, Reddin said. The trooper pursued the car north on Highway 63.

Zxavier Iweeze was dropping his uncle off at Bennigan’s next to the Marriott Courtyard, heading to work at Boone County Hospital, when he saw an Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera fly past him at about 100 mph on the on-ramp of Highway 63, he said.

Burks was standing on the shoulder putting down “stop strips” — designed to puncture tires so that they will lose their air slowly — when the suspect drove his car off the road then back onto the ramp, striking Burks’ car in the rear.

Reddin said Burks managed to jump into the air and onto the hood of his car. “By the grace of God he was able to avoid the majority of the impact,” Reddin said.

Both men were transported to University Hospital. Reddin said the suspect could face a “multitude” of charges in connection with the chase and crash but that the investigation was ongoing.

Both lanes of northbound Highway 63 traffic were stopped for about an hour after the crash.