Police have identified the pedestrian struck by a vehicle on Interstate 44 Friday morning as a man wanted for questioning in a Fenton bank robbery earlier this week.

The pedestrian was identified by Missouri State Highway Patrol as Joseph L. Haring.  A Missouri State Highway Patrol crash report indicated Haring was walking on the inside shoulder of the highway and into the roadway when he was hit by the ambulance. The ambulance swerved to the right in an effort to avoid Haring, but he was struck by the left side of the ambulance, the report said. 

Haring sustained serious injuries in the accident and was taken to the hospital. The driver of the ambulance had minor injuries. The privately owned ambulance was not on an emergency run at the time of the accident.

St. Louis Police were searching for Haring to question him in relation to a robbery Wednesday at Reliance Bank, 100 S. Highway Drive, Fenton. A man wearing a blue shirt and dark shorts walked into the bank and demanded money. He then left the bank with the cash. No weapon was displayed and no one was injured.

On Thursday, the stolen 2006 Honda Ridgeline SUV used in the bank heist was found and recovered near Hampton Avenue and Chippewa Street, in south St. Louis, by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.

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