SUV driver runs over, seriously injures Springfield police officer in front of headquarters

A Springfield police officer was seriously injured this morning, when a man who had been creating a disturbance at the police station was asked to leave, returned in an SUV, drove in the direction of an officer who was standing in front of the building, sped up the vehicle and hit him.

The officer, Mark Priebe, a 21-year Springfield Police Department veteran and the driver, Jon Tyler Franklin Routh, 28, were both hospitalized.

Formal charges have not yet been filed against Routh.

The Springfield Police Department news release and a statement from Mayor Ken McClure are printed below.








The SPD Facebook briefing on the incident is included at the bottom of the post.

(From the Springfield Police Department)

On June 9, 2020, at approximately 9:30 a.m. officers were notified of a white male at the front entrance of Springfield Police Headquarters (321 E Chestnut Expressway) causing a disturbance and urinating on the front door. Officers contacted him and asked him to leave.

He then got into a white SUV, drove away, then circled back through the parking lot, heading toward the front entrance of Police Headquarters.

He accelerated directly toward the officer who was standing in front of the building. The officer attempted to get out of the way, but it appears the driver intentionally struck the officer who became trapped under the vehicle. The vehicle continued forward with the officer still trapped and struck a concrete bollard.

A second officer yelled at the driver to stop and get out of the vehicle and when he refused and continued to drive forward, the officer fired shots striking the suspect and stopping the vehicle.

Both the officer and the suspect were sent to the hospital to be treated for their injuries.

The suspect has been identified as 28-year-old Jon Tyler Franklin Routh.

The injured officer is Officer Mark Priebe, a 21-year veteran of the Springfield Police Department.

The lobby at headquarters is closed until further advised. Citizens may conduct regular business at the South District Station (2620 W. Battlefield Rd.) until 7:00 p.m. today.

(From the City of Springfield)

Springfield Mayor Ken McClure started today’s City Council lunch workshop with a moment of silence for 21-year police veteran Mark Priebe. Officer Priebe was seriously injured this morning in the line of duty.

“We start this meeting with a heavy heart as we wait to hear more about the condition of a Springfield Police officer, who was injured in an incident outside SPD headquarters at 9:30 a.m." he said. "This is a sad reminder of the danger our officers face on a daily basis in an attempt to mitigate situations. We know now that the injured officer and others responding to the disturbance, tried to talk with a man who was urinating on the front door of the headquarters and unfortunately decided to use his vehicle as a weapon.

“I thank him for his courageous actions and I am asking for the community’s prayers as he is currently hospitalized in serious condition," McClure concluded.