WEST ALTON - A burglary suspect who led police on a chase through St. Charles County Friday afternoon died after exchanging gunfire with officers at the end of the pursuit.
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Numerous officers chased the suspect who had a woman inside the white Chevrolet until it rested in a bean field in West Alton. Law enforcement chased the driver because he allegedly burglarized a home on Highway H. The suspect exchanged gunshots with the homeowner in the burglary attempt. The woman with the suspect in the vehicle was uninjured but appeared significantly shaken by the incident.
"Earlier this afternoon we had a burglary in progress where a homeowner and a suspect exchanged gunfire," St. Charles County Police Chief Frisz said. "As our officers responded to that call of shots fired, our officers responded and saw the vehicle with the suspect from the call. We attempted to stop the vehicle and it was running on one flat tire and eventually, we put out a spike strip, and then he hit it and had four flat tires.
"The suspect then went into the West Alton area. During that pursuit, he was on the phone with some of our officers and said there was a female in the vehicle with him and he said 'lives would be lost' if the police didn't back off. Our officers gave him a little bit of space and attempted to negotiate with the suspect. There were some connectivity issues and then once the suspect turned off and the chase ended in the farmer's field. The suspect jumped out of the vehicle and our officers returned fire."
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