Four women and one man, all from Columbia, were arrested after getting into a vehicle chase Sunday afternoon with Jefferson City police.
According to police department reports, as of Sunday night, the five were being held in the Cole County Jail awaiting the filing of formal charges. Their names were not released.
The incident began at 3:20 p.m. when officers were called to Dicks Sporting Goods on Stoneridge Parkway. Store employees said several people fled the store after taking merchandise. An employee gave a description of the suspect vehicle and said it appeared to have gone east on Missouri Boulevard.
Police officers spotted the vehicle in the 1200 block of Missouri and attempted to stop it, but the driver sped off and the pursuit began.
The suspect vehicle went over the Missouri River Bridge and eventually crossed into Boone County on U.S. 63. A Missouri Highway Patrol trooper was able to deploy tire spikes and the suspect vehicle hit those at the intersection of Zumwalt Road and 63. The vehicle eventually stopped and the five suspects were taken into custody.
Authorities went along 63 collecting several items thrown from the vehicle, as of Sunday night more than $3000 worth of merchandise, mostly clothes, had been recovered.