Former Missouri police officer who shot into car gets probation after guilty plea
Sep 18, 2023, 12:10 PM
CLAYTON, 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.
