Cape Girardeau police catch suspect after chase

Suspect in illegal drug transaction flees, abandons automobile.

An unidentified male suspect was taken into police custody Tuesday afternoon in Cape Girardeau following a short but eventful chase near the intersection of Broadway and Kingshighway.

The chase began at 1:44 p.m. when a Cape Girardeau patrolman attempted to make a traffic stop of a 1983 Pontiac Grand Prix westbound on Broadway, said police.

The traffic volume was too high, so the officer continued to observe the car, seeing what appeared to be a drug transaction after another man approached the vehicle on Terry Lane.

The police tried to stop the car, but the driver accelerated, ran a stop sign and ran a red light at Clark Avenue and Broadway and struck another vehicle.

The suspect continued driving for a short distance and jumped from the vehicle. The car continued forward and came to a rest in the McDonald's parking lot without striking the building or the vehicles parked there.

Police were able to detain the suspect after a short chase, during which officers believe the suspect threw down a bag with crack cocaine, and he was transported to Southeast Missouri Hospital by ambulance to be treated for head injuries.

The police are seeking several charges from the county prosecutor's office: stop sign violation, red light violation, failure to signal, failure to yield to an emergency vehicle, possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, second-degree assault, resisting arrest, leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident, careless and imprudent driving, driving without a license, driving without insurance and failure to wear a seat belt.