Police say driver accidentally shot himself while leaving scene of two-vehicle head-on crash

Police arrested a Columbia man after arriving at the scene of a two-vehicle head-on collision, which took place in the 3300 block of Brown Station Road Friday afternoon.

According to public information officer Jeff Pitts at the scene, Timothy S. Ellis was driving a black Jeep Cherokee. Columbia police officers attempted to make a traffic stop around Paris and Mexico Gravel roads; the driver initially stopped, then drove away at "a high rate of speed," according to a subsequent news release Saturday.

Police suspended any pursuit before the driver of the northbound vehicle struck an elderly couple driving southbound on Brown Station Road head-on. The driver accidentally shot himself in the leg while leaving the accident scene on foot, the release said. Initial reports said the driver shot himself in the groin area.

Police apprehended Ellis a short distance away and gave medical assistance until emergency services arrived, the release noted.

Ellis, 35, was arrested for first-degree assault, armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon in connection with a shots-fired incident Feb. 16 on Talon Drive, the release stated. Additionally, he was arrested for felon in possession of a firearm, unlawful use of a weapon, resisting arrest, trafficking narcotics and distribution of narcotics related to Friday's incident.

The couple in the other vehicle were both transported to a Columbia hospital, and were considered in stable condition at the time, according to the release. Ellis was transported to an area hospital for surgery stemming from his gunshot wound; Saturday's release said he would be released into police custody and taken to Boone County Jail after being discharged from the hospital.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Suspect arrested after crash on Brown Station Road