Terry Pfeffer

Terry Pfeffer, 45, of Arnold, fled St. Louis police in a stolen pickup truck and fired shots at officers Thursday morning. He was shot and killed by police after a chase ended south of Arnold, authorities said. The chase began when St. Louis police tried to stop a red Ford F-150 pickup in south St. Louis about 7 a.m. Thursday because it was reported stolen. Pfeffer, the driver, fired shots at the officers and took off, said Mitch McCoy, a spokesman for the St. Louis Police Department. The officers chased the truck onto Interstate 55, and Pfeffer fired several more times during the chase, police said. Officers from other agencies joined the pursuit and tried to stop the pickup with spike strips. The chase ended about 7:45 a.m. south of Arnold in unincorporated Jefferson County, about 15 miles from the St. Louis city limits. The truck crashed behind an apartment complex on the dead-end street of Westward Trails Drive, west of Jeffco Boulevard in the area of Imperial. Residents reported hearing a flurry of gunfire. No officers were hurt. St. Louis police fired the shots that killed Pfeffer. A woman ran from the pickup after it crashed. Jefferson County Sheriff Dave Marshak said she was taken into police custody and was cooperating with investigators, even confirming that Pfeffer was the one who shot at officers during the chase. Police recovered a handgun. Authorities said Pfeffer’s criminal background includes charges for drugs, weapons, assault, tampering with a motor vehicle and resisting arrest.