News Release



For further information please contact:

Sgt. Larry W. Plunkett, Jr (573) 840-9500

plunkl@mshp.state.mo.us

#: 2005-01-04

Date: January 8, 2005



EMPHASIS: Troop E Pursuit Ends in Perryville





At approximately 10:18 pm, January 7, 2005, the Miner Police Department initiated a pursuit northbound along Interstate 55 after the vehicle attempted to ram a Miner police car during a routine traffic stop. During the pursuit, Sikeston Department of Public Safety authorities advised the Miner Police Department of a possible suspect match to a previous armed robbery at a local movie retailer. The pursuit continued northbound on I-55 through Scott, Cape Girardeau and Perry counties before ending at a convenience store parking lot in Perryville, MO, where three subjects were taken into custody.



The pursuit was joined by the Patrol south of Cape Girardeau at the 90-mile marker, where officers attempted to deploy tire deflation devices to end the pursuit. The suspect vehicle avoided the device and continued northbound through Cape Girardeau County where they avoided a second tire deflation device at the 99-mile marker, due to uninvolved traffic. Once the vehicle entered Perry County, the Perry County Sheriff’s Department successfully deflated a tire on the suspect’s vehicle at the 124-mile marker of I-55. The vehicle continued northbound on the shredded tire and attempted to exit the interstate at Perryville exit 129. The vehicle maneuvered around Perryville police cars attempting to roadblock the exit ramp, and proceeded northbound on MO 51 until stopping at the parking lot of a nearby convenience store.



Once the vehicle was stopped officers approached and gave the three occupants, two males and one female, commands and instructions that were initially ignored by the suspects. Officers approached the felony suspect vehicle with weapons drawn and removed the occupants from the vehicle. During the attempt to remove the driver and place him on the ground for handcuffing, Quincy L. Russell, 31, St. Louis, MO, received a wound from the accidental discharge of a trooper’s duty weapon. The injuries to Russell’s lower forearm were not readily detected until a short time later and the subject was transported by Patrol vehicle to a nearby hospital for treatment. The full extent of Russell’s injuries is unknown at this time.



Upon further investigation of the scene, officers later found a loaded Ruger P-85 semi-automatic pistol in the vehicle. Records indicate Russell had a felony Probation and Parole warrant for his arrest at the time of the incident and formal charges are currently being sought from area prosecutors.



The charges for which Russell has been arrested are mere accusation and are not evidence of guilt. Evidence in support of the charges must be presented before a court of competent jurisdiction whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence. Charges for the two occupants are being considered upon further investigation of the incident.



The pursuit was initiated by the Miner Police Department and was assisted by the Scott County Sheriff’s Department, Cape County Sheriff’s Department, Cape Girardeau Police Department, Perry County Sheriff’s Department, Perryville Police Department, and Troops E and C of the Missouri State Highway Patrol. The Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control responded to the scene and the investigation is continuing. For further information concerning this incident, please contact Sergeant Larry W. Plunkett, Jr., Public Information and Education Officer for Troop E, Poplar Bluff, at 573-840-9500.