ALTON – Two Alton Police officers were treated and released following being struck by a vehicle piloted by an alleged fleeing suspect early Friday morning.
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Investigator Mark Doiron of the Illinois State Police (ISP) who is now handling the case, as shots were fired by the Alton officers, said officers from the Alton Police Department were called to the scene of a domestic violence situation in the 1000 block of Tremont around 4:13 a.m. Friday. Upon arrival, they encountered a black male, now identified as 34-year-old Todd Lockhart, of Alton, who then allegedly attempted to flee in a vehicle. Two of the officers were partially in that vehicle and drug, suffering injuries, before firing shots into the fleeing vehicle.
Doiron believed Lockhart was injured by the shots. He said Clark Bridge cameras identified his vehicle fleeing into Missouri. Doiron said Lockhart is wanted not only for his alleged crimes against officers, but also for his health, as officers believe he has been injured.
From being dragged, one officer suffered lower body abrasions. A second suffered a broken leg, because he may have been run over by the vehicle.
Lockhart was last seen in a white Pontiac Grand Prix with the license plate number – AJ9D7Z – on Missouri plates. Doiron said he believed Lockhart may be heading toward Missouri where he has contacts.
Anyone with any information on Lockhart's whereabouts is asked to contact the Alton Police Department at (618) 463-3505.
Lovejoy Elementary School was also placed on a soft lockdown following the incident, purely as a precautionary measure.
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