Taken from STL County Police Facebook page:

This morning our officers were responding to a report of a carjacking when a pursuit ensued and on Southbound I-55 in St. Louis County and ended in Jefferson County. At approximately 9:00 a.m. on July 24, 2017, officers from the St. Louis County Police Department were dispatched to the area of southbound 270 and southbound 55 for a report of a one vehicle accident. A vehicle ran off the road and citizens were attempting to help the driver.

A citizen approached the crashed vehicle and was contacted by the driver of the wrecked vehicle. The driver of the wrecked vehicle held the citizen at gunpoint with a shotgun and handgun and demanded his vehicle. The suspect possibly held that citizen, along with his family, at gunpoint while carjacking another citizen’s vehicle at gunpoint, and drove southbound on Interstate 55.

Officers received a description of the vehicle, located the vehicle on southbound Interstate 55, and attempted to stop that vehicle. During the pursuit, 3 agencies including Festus PD, MSHP, and Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department, attempted to stop the suspect vehicle by using stop sticks.

At some point, the stop sticks worked, and the suspect vehicle disabled near mile-marker 171.4. Officers contacted the suspect from a distance and exchanged gunfire with the suspect. The Tactical Operations Unit, along with the Jefferson County SWAT team arrived to assist with the situation. Officers made contact with the suspect in the vehicle, in which he was pronounced deceased on the scene.

This is a very active and early investigation. The shooting incident is under investigation by the Jefferson County Sheriffs Office.