Driver charged after wrong-way U-turn crash killed two men and injured two St. Louis officers
Crash on I-170 to I-64 connector left two dead and two officers hospitalized
A driver has been charged following a head-on collision on a busy St. Louis County highway connector that killed two men and seriously injured two St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers. The crash occurred on Friday, Jan. 23, 2026, on the flyover ramp from southbound Interstate 170 to eastbound Interstate 64, in the Richmond Heights area.
Investigators say the collision happened during an active effort by officers to stop a suspect vehicle tied to a City of St. Louis investigation. Police reported that the suspect vehicle was occupied by three males.
What investigators say happened
Based on the initial findings released by St. Louis County Police, detectives believe the suspect vehicle made a U-turn on the elevated ramp, entered lanes carrying oncoming traffic, and then struck a marked city police SUV head-on. Two occupants of the suspect vehicle were pronounced dead at the scene. A third occupant survived and was taken to a hospital.
St. Louis Metropolitan Police Chief Robert Tracy said both officers suffered significant fractures. Police said one officer required surgery, and both were expected to survive.
Location: Flyover ramp connecting I-170 southbound to I-64 eastbound, St. Louis County.
Date and time: Friday, Jan. 23, 2026, shortly before 2:30 p.m.
Casualties: Two men died at the scene; one suspect occupant hospitalized.
Officers injured: Two SLMPD officers transported to a hospital with serious injuries.
Officers’ conditions and roles
Police identified the injured officers only by age and experience in early briefings. One officer is 33 and has seven years of law enforcement experience; the other is 38 and has roughly 12 years of experience. Both were in full uniform and in a marked patrol vehicle while assisting St. Louis County police.
Police described the crash as a head-on collision after the suspect vehicle entered oncoming traffic on the connector ramp.
Investigation and what remains unclear
Authorities have not publicly detailed why the suspect vehicle was being pursued or how it ended up on the interstate ramp. St. Louis County Police said the pursuit appeared to have started within St. Louis city limits. The extent of the surviving suspect occupant’s injuries and the identities of the deceased had not been released in initial updates.
St. Louis County Police said its Crimes Against Persons detectives and Accident Reconstruction investigators are leading the investigation. As the case moves through charging and court review, additional details are expected to emerge through formal filings and investigative findings.