ST. LOUIS – St. Louis police have four people on suspicion of car clouting who may have also been involved in a shooting early Wednesday morning that injured an off-duty police officer.

The officer shooting occurred sometime around 2 a.m. in the 3900 block of North Broadway, just north of the McKinley Bridge in the city’s Near North Riverfront neighborhood.

St. Louis Police Chief Robert Tracy said two off-duty police officers, along with a third person who is not currently an active city officer, were inside what he called a private establishment.

Tracy mentioned that the off-duty police officers noticed three suspects breaking into their cars. The chief said one of the off-duty officers went outside to confront the suspects and was shot as he exited the doorway. The off-duty officer was hit in the right cheek and grazed in the back. He returned fire but Tracy said he did not hit any of the suspects, who fled in a car.

The chief said the injured officer is 45 years old and has nearly 21 years on the police force. The officer could be released as early as today.

That afternoon, Major Janice Bockstruck, deputy commander of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department’s Force Investigation Unit, gave a media briefing to say police and U.S. Marshals arrested four people who were “possibly” involved in the shooting.

According to Bockstruck, city police and marshals stopped a white SUV in the 5200 block of Norwood believed to be tied to several car cloutings and “possibly” the officer shooting.

The four occupants attempted to flee but were arrested almost immediately. One of the individuals took out a gun and fired at a marshal. The marshal returned fire and struck the shooter in the arm.

Bockstruck would not reveal the ages of the four people arrested. She did not discuss why police believe they were involved in the shooting of the St. Louis officer.

No charges have been filed in that investigation.