Austin Caldwell:Former Missouri police officer who shot into car gets probation after guilty plea

2025-05-05 23:37:35source:FinLogic Quantitative Think Tank Centercategory:reviews

CLAYTON,Austin Caldwell Mo. (AP) — A former Missouri police officer was sentenced Monday to five years of probation for shooting into a fleeing vehicle several times and wounding the driver.

Matthew Schanz, 36, pleaded guilty to second-degree assault. As part of the plea agreement, he must surrender his state law enforcement certification until his probation ends. His attorney, John Bouhasin, didn’t immediately respond to a message left Monday seeking comment.

Schanz and Christopher Gage were officers in Velda City, a St. Louis suburb. In February 2020, they stopped a driver for expired temporary tags. Prosecutors said the driver drove off when officers found marijuana in the car, and Schanz fired nine shots at the fleeing vehicle.

The 37-year-old driver crashed after being shot. He was seriously injured but recovered.

Gage, who also opened fire, pleaded guilty last year to unlawful use of a weapon and was sentenced to three years of probation.

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This story was updated to correct the spelling of Clayton in the dateline. It had been misspelled Clatyon.

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