Police chase driver in central Columbia

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Police chased a driver in central Columbia on Thursday, ending the pursuit on Nebraska Avenue near the ABC 17 News studio.

Multiple police cruisers were at the scene but officers there would not give details about what happened. An ambulance took a man away on a stretcher and he was accompanied on his trip to the hospital by a Columbia Police Department officer. A CPD spokesperson would only say the investigation is ongoing.

A witness, who said he helped police catch the driver, said he blocked a white Ford Focus after backing his vehicle onto the road when he saw police chasing the car. The driver, who wished to remain anonymous, said the person in the Focus took a wrong turn, and the witness trapped him with his car.

Officers surrounded the Focus with guns drawn and took several people inside into custody, the witness said.

Police released a passenger in the Focus, who then told ABC 17 News he met up with three people at a gas station and got in the car. The car was then chased by police, he said.

The passenger told ABC 17 News that a man in the Focus told him he had a gun and if the driver didn't try to evade police he would start shooting.

Information about the man being carried away on a stretcher was not immediately available.

Check back for updates to this developing story.