On 12-01-2021 at about 3:00 pm, Detective Antonio Valentine was injured in a vehicle crash near the intersection of Bellefontaine Road and Crete Drive, in Bellefontaine Neighbors.

When other detectives from the Bureau of Drug Enforcement Unit attempted to stop the suspect who was driving a stolen vehicle. The suspect fled refused to stop, speeding west on Chambers. Detective Valentine and his partner were in an unmarked department vehicle and were responded eastbound on Chambers to assist when the suspect, still westbound on Chambers in a stolen vehicle crossed the centerline and collided head-on with the vehicle driven by Detective Valentine. Both he and his partner were transported to Barnes-Jewish Hospital, where Detective Valentine succumbed to his injuries. His partner was not seriously injured. The suspect was also killed in the crash.

Detective Valentine was a United States Army combat veteran, serving as a sergeant in the Army National Guard and had retired from the Air Force Reserves. He was deployed to Iraq and Kyrgyzstan. He joined the S t. Louis County Police Department in 2007, serving for 14 years, including assignments in in the Special Operations Unit and then the Bureau of Drug Enforcement. He was active in sports and had previously played for the St Louis Bulldogs minor league football team. He is survived by his four children ages 10 to 22 and an uncle who is a sergeant with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. Services were held at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis. Interment: Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, St Louis, MO.