ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. (KMOV) – St. Charles County Prosecutor Tim Lohmar said two officers who shot and killed an armed convicted felon following a high-speed chase were justified in the January shooting.

On January 17th, officers with the county’s crime task force spotted a stolen truck traveling on westbound Highway 70 near Highway 79. The truck, driven by Sonny Vincent, 36, refused to pull over for police, investigators said, and continued driving on Highway 70 at a high rate of speed. Officers pursued the vehicle, laying down spike strips near Highway 70 and Route Z. The strips caused the front left tire of the truck to come off, leading to Vincent temporarily losing control of the truck in a ditch before returning to the roadway.

Less than a minute later, police said Vincent crashed in a grassy median west of Wentzville Parkway, near Langtree Drive.

Body and dash camera video from the incident released exclusively to News 4 show Vincent and a female suspect exit the passenger side door and begin running. In the video, Vincent is seen extending his right arm toward officers and pointing a gun at them. In his decision, Lohmar said Vincent “appeared to attempt to fire his gun” at officers as he ran from the scene.

Two officers, one with the St. Charles City Police Department and another with St. Peters Police Department fired at Vincent, killing him. The female suspect continued to run from the scene before being taken into custody by officers.

Lohmar said in part, “Mr. Vincent was non-compliant and fled a vehicle stop in a manner which put the lives of others in danger. Upon successful deployment of stop sticks, disabling the vehicle driven by Mr. Vincent, he continued to flee from officers. He possessed, displayed, and appeared to attempt to fire his gun at the officers. The officers believed that they were in substantial risk of serious physical injury or death as well as the risk Mr. Vincent posed to the other officers in close proximity. The use of deadly force was objectively reasonable given the facts and circumstances presented to the officers. The officers based their actions upon their reasonable belief that Mr. Vincent posed an immediate risk to the safety of the officers and others and was actively attempting to evade arrest in a dangerous manner.”

Officers recovered a stolen firearm on Vincent at the scene. Online court records show Vincent spent the majority of the last 10 years in prison for various charges. He was released from the Missouri Department of Corrections on parole in October 2022 for a felony drug charge.

Amber Smith, 37, is charged with unlawful use of a weapon, possession of a controlled substance, forgery, resisting arrest, and tampering with a motor vehicle. Investigators found a stolen gun inside the truck amongst Smith’s belongings. Court documents indicate Smith has been linked to crimes in Illinois as well as Missouri and was on probation in Illinois at the time of her arrest. The probable cause statement said investigators believe she used synthetic urine, based on evidence within the vehicle, to hide her drug activity. She remains in custody at the St. Charles County Jail.

So far in 2023, the St. Charles County crime task force has made 75 arrests, including 31 felonies and 44 misdemeanors. It has also seized two firearms and recovered one stolen vehicle, according to a spokesperson for the St. Charles County Police Department.

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