A suspect stole a Dayton police cruiser during a late-night pursuit before crashing it through an occupied home in Ohio, newly released dashcam footage shows.
The incident began shortly before midnight on Thursday, September 3, when officers investigating a separate crash at West Third Street and Gettysburg Avenue saw a Toyota SUV drive through the scene at speed.
Police said the vehicle was travelling erratically and had been reported stolen. Officers stopped it using a pursuit intervention technique, but the driver fled on foot into a nearby back garden before returning to the area.
He then allegedly climbed into a Dayton police cruiser and drove away, despite officers ordering him to get out. The stolen vehicle collided with another police car before officers began a second pursuit.
Footage from inside the cruiser shows it speeding through the streets before smashing into a house on Greenway Street. Two people and a dog were inside the property at the time. The residents were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, while the dog received treatment for minor injuries.
Police said the suspect attacked an officer after the crash, tried to take the officer’s firearm and bit him as officers attempted to restrain him. Seven officers were injured during the arrest; six were taken to hospital and later released. The suspect was also treated in hospital.
Investigators later linked the suspect to several alleged offences in neighbouring jurisdictions, including an aggravated robbery in Moraine involving the Toyota SUV. Authorities also believe he was connected to a homicide investigation in Miami Township.
Miami Township police said officers found a woman suffering from a fatal gunshot wound during a welfare check on Friday, September 4, after she failed to report for work. The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is assisting with that inquiry.
The suspect had not been publicly identified and formal charges had not been announced in the latest reports.
