The man wounded by a Franklin County deputy Thursday afternoon was being sought for questioning in a number of auto thefts in St. Louis and Franklin counties, authorities said.
The suspect, Timothy J. Kalter, 31, is expected to recover from the gunshot wound, Sheriff Gary Toelke said.
The deputy, Sgt. Travis Blankenship, was treated for a sprained wrist but was back at the sheriff’s office for a briefing on the incident Friday morning, Toelke said.
The sheriff said he requested the Missouri Highway Patrol to investigate the shooting, which is the department’s policy.
Meanwhile, law enforcement agencies plan to seek multiple charges against Kalter in Thursday’s incident and in previous cases.
At a meeting earlier Thursday, investigators developed a plan to arrest Kalter who had eluded officers several times over the past two weeks by leading them on high-speed chases that often exceeded 100 mph. In those instances, officers discontinued the chases due to safety.
A plainclothes officer staked out the Gardenway Motel about 3 p.m. Thursday waiting for Kalter to show up. The officer saw Kalter drive by and attempted to follow him but lost sight of Kalter’s car, a blue Ford Mustang that had been reported stolen from a St. Louis County car dealer Wednesday night.
A short time later, Blankenship saw Kalter pumping gas at the Petro Mart station at Highway 100 and Route AT.
Toelke said as Blankenship ordered Kalter down on the ground, the man jumped into the car and tried to drive off. Blankenship then reached through the window to grab the keys and Kalter began driving off.
Blankenship then fired shots at the suspect and then freed his arm, Toelke said.
“At this point we believe he fired two shot,” the sheriff said. “At least one of the bullets hit the suspect.”
Kalter then sped away eastbound on Interstate 44 as various police agencies began searching for the blue Mustang.
At one point, police believe Kalter stopped at the Shell Station west of Eureka because they found blood at that location. He also is believed to have thrown out some blood-soaked clothing near the prison east of Pacific.
The sheriff said Kalter, at some point, picked up a woman who lives in Pacific. She was driving the car, taking Kalter to the hospital, when law enforcement officers sighted the vehicle westbound on Interstate 44 and stopped it at Pacific, according to reports.
Kalter was transported by ambulance to Mercy Hospital Washington then transferred later to Mercy Hospital St. Louis, Toelke said.
The sheriff said there was an outstanding warrant for Kalter for violating probation in a 2010 case involving the theft of two credit cards. That incident was investigated by Washington police. Bond on that warrant was set at $75,000.
Kalter lived at various times in the Pacific area and in St. Louis, according to reports.
Sheriff Toelke said it’s been a number of years since a deputy shot a suspect during the investigation of a crime.
