Following an armed robbery in southern Illinois on Thursday, a vehicle collided with a tractor-trailer, killing two persons, according to authorities.
The Cahokia Heights Police Department said it got a 911 call about 12:30 p.m. concerning an armed robbery and shots fired on Cahokia Street in Sauget.
Officers arrived swiftly and located a GMC pickup truck matching the suspect’s description on Jerome Street in Cahokia Heights, travelling towards Route 3.
Officers swung around and turned on their lights, and the vehicle sped away, heading north on Route 3 towards Sauget.
The truck continued to speed, and police said it was near the Monsanto Avenue junction when the driver blew a red light and collided with the back of a tractor-trailer turning south on Route 3.
By the time officers arrived at the crossroads and turned onto Route 3, the truck had collided with the tractor-trailer, according to police.
Officers quenched the fire truck, and the passengers were rescued and transported to a St. Louis hospital, where they were confirmed dead.
The driver was pronounced deceased on the scene. The traveller died at the hospital.
During the early afternoon, police assisted in extinguishing the fire and redirecting traffic.
“We had to essentially shut down all northbound and southbound traffic on Route 3… That is a huge congestion for traffic leaving the Cahokia Heights-Sauget area as well as entering our city from St. Louis via westbound traffic,” said Cahokia Heights Police Chief Thomas Trice.
Trice stated that the incident did not match the definition of a pursuit under departmental guidelines, but that a pursuit would have been permissible in this case.
“My condolences go out to the family, even though when people are committing felonies, it’s still someone’s loved one,” according to him.
It’s a statement accompanied by advice for bad guys who come into contact with police.
“Please stop. Even if you believe you are going to be in trouble. “Don’t run from the cops,” Trice added.
The driver of the tractor-trailer was not injured. Police have not yet identified the suspects.
Reference: Driver, passenger dead in crash after armed robbery in southern Illinois
