Child in stolen car OK after brief ride; suspect arrested after St. Louis shootout

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A man suspected of a series of crimes, including stealing a car with a 5-year-old autistic boy inside, was arrested Thursday after allegedly shooting at police, stealing a squad car and crashing it into a house.

The string of incidents began about 6:30 a.m. when the 23-year-old suspect stole a car at a St. Louis convenience store. He apparently didn't know that the child, Kolyn Hall, was in the back seat. The child's mother told reporters she left the car on as she ran inside for a cappuccino for herself and a snack for the boy.

About 20 minutes later, the car was found abandoned, the child still inside. He was reunited with his family and was unharmed.

Police Chief Joe Mokwa said the same suspect was believed responsible for robberies and another car theft. When police confronted the suspect later Thursday morning, he shot at an officer.

That officer fired back but ran out of ammunition and was "on his hands and knees" trying to avoid being shot by the suspect, who was chasing the officer around his squad car, Mokwa said. Other officers arrived and the suspect allegedly stole the police car.

The man drove away and later crashed into a home on the city's north side. The homeowner was not inside but was across the street and heard the crash.

Footage on KTVI-TV showed the squad car riddled with bullet holes. The back window was shot out, but it wasn't clear if the bullets came from the inside or the outside.

Mokwa said none of the officers involved in the shootout, or the suspect, were hurt. One officer was taken by ambulance to a hospital as a precaution, but was not hit by gunfire.

"It's a very fortunate circumstance that nothing more tragic has occurred," Mokwa said.

The suspect told authorities that he had previously been incarcerated for robbery "and wasn't going back," the chief said.