Crime & Safety

Man Rams Florissant Squad Car Injuring Officer, Police Say

The officer suffered a concussion during the car chase and was hospitalized overnight. The man's car was disabled and he was caught after a brief chase on foot.

A man led police on a chase Feb. 5 and rammed a squad car, injuring a Florissant officer and disabling his own car.

Florissant Police said an officer tried to pull over Kenneth Lawrence on a traffic stop on New Halls Ferry Road, but Lawrence would not pull over and tried to flee in his car, according to court documents.

At about 1270 New Halls Ferry Road, the man swerved at the patrol car, and the officer had to swerve to avoid a collision, said Florissant Police spokesman Andy Haarman.

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Lawrence, 33, turned onto Dunn Road and into the Sugar Pines Apartment complex where the first officer was joined by a second patrol car in the chase.

Police said in a report that Lawrence saw the second officer coming to assist the first officer on Sugar Crest Road and accelerated and rammed the second patrol car, giving the officer a concussion.

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The collision also disabled Lawrence’s car and he got out and ran, Haarman said. He was caught and arrested after a brief foot chase.

The injured officer was hospitalized overnight and released the next day. He returned to active duty Monday, Haarman said.

Lawrence, of the 5300 block of Fletcher Avenue in Jennings, was charged with two counts of assaulting an officer and one count of resisting arrest. He was being held in St. Louis County jail Monday. Bail was set at $100,000.

For more crime information on Florissant Patch, see the following articles:

  • Police Chase Ends in North County After Man Robs 63-Year-Old Woman at Gunpoint


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