St. Louis detectives fatally shoot man after chase; police say he shot at the detectives

ST. LOUIS — A man in a stolen pickup truck who fired at St. Louis detectives and led them on a lengthy chase was fatally shot by detectives Thursday, police said.

Anti-crime task force detectives tried to stop the stolen truck around 7 a.m. after spotting it being driven dangerously, police said in a statement. The driver was identified as Terry Pfeffer, 45, of Arnold, Missouri. He refused to stop, and a chase began.

The chase went for several miles down Interstate 55 into Jefferson County. Several other police agencies joined in the chase, and spike strips were deployed, but the truck kept going. Police said the driver fired several shots at the detectives, who were not struck.

The truck crashed in the town of Imperial about 45 minutes after the chase began, police said. Pfeffer emerged with a gun, and the detectives shot him, police said. Jefferson County Sheriff Dave Marshak said a handgun was recovered at the scene.

Pfeffer's criminal history included drug and gun charges, assault, resisting arrest and other crimes, Marshak said.