SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — A Springfield police officer was injured when a man hit him with a vehicle after becoming irate when he was asked to leave police headquarters, Springfield Police Chief Paul Williams said Tuesday.
The man was shot by other officers after he drove into the officer then refused to get out of his vehicle in the police headquarters parking lot, Williams said during a news conference.
The injured officer was identified as Mark Priebe, a 21-year veteran of the Springfield department. The suspect was 28-year-old Jon Tyler Franklin Routh.
Priebe was breathing and talking when he was taken to a Springfield hospital. Routh also was hospitalized, and his condition was not immediately available.
Springfield Mayor Ken McClure on Tuesday praised the officers' actions and asked the community to pray for Priebe, who he said was in serious condition.
Before the confrontation in the parking lot, Routh created a disturbance and urinated on the front entrance of police headquarters, according to a police news release.
After he was asked to leave, he drove away, circled back in his SUV and drove toward the building, where Priebe tried to flag him down, police said.
City officials said Routh accelerated and struck Priebe, who became trapped under the vehicle. The SUV continued forward with Priebe still trapped until it hit a barrier. It appeared the driver intentionally hit the officer, police said.
A second officer shot Routh after he refused to stop and continued driving forward, police said.
Police are trying to determine Routh's motives, Williams said.
