Stow police videos catch crashes during 52-mile chase of stolen vehicle
Dramatic video footage released on Sunday from three Stow police cruisers involved in a 52.5-mile chase of a stolen dump truck looks as if it could have come from a cop reality television show.
The stolen dump truck, which police say was driven Saturday by a 17-year-old suspect through the streets of Stow and the highways of three counties, crashed into police cruisers and private vehicles and headed in reverse down a major road while being pursued by police before spinning and totaling a cruiser.
That's before the dump truck got out of Stow and headed down state Route 8 and Interstate 77 through Summit, Stark and Tuscarawas counties, then crashed with a flat tire into a guard rail.
In parts of one cruiser's video, various objects, including two bricks and a tarp, are seen being thrown from the dump truck's window. Police also said a fire extinguisher was thrown out of the truck toward a line of police cars from various departments in pursuit on the highway.
''It's very strange that we get involved in a chase with a dump truck,'' said Stow Police Chief Louis A. Dirker Jr., a 36-year police veteran. ''Those aren't the most agile vehicles around. The guy was so aggressive in trying to get away that he would think nothing of damaging my cruisers and putting my officers at risk.''
A Stow teen has been charged in juvenile court with three counts of felonious assault with a weapon (the truck), a count of willfully fleeing and eluding a police officer, driving with a suspended license, three counts of vandalism (of cars) and a count of receiving stolen property.
''Because of the seriousness of the charges, he could be tried as an adult,'' Dirker said.
More charges are possible from the other police departments where the chase occurred.
It is the Beacon Journal's policy not to name minors charged in juvenile court in most cases.
Juveniles apprehended
Two other juveniles were in the dump truck and jumped out after the crashes with the Stow police cruisers at Fishcreek and Graham roads.
A male and a female were apprehended by police. No charges have been filed against them, Dirker said, and police still are trying to determine their relationship to the driver and their level of participation.
Dirker said three of his department's cruisers were damaged, including one that was totaled. A new cruiser will cost at least $22,000, he said, and the front-end damage to another police vehicle will cost at least $5,000 to fix.
Two Stow police officers were slightly injured during the pursuit. One officer bumped his head on his steering wheel when he was getting out of his cruiser as the dump truck sped backward and rammed his vehicle.
Another officer's leg and back were injured when his cruiser spun around after the dump track crashed into it.
Police also said at least two private citizens were taken to an area hospital, but they believe everyone was treated and released.
Strange aggression
''It's hard to understand what the kid's motivation was,'' Dirker said. ''It's very strange that he acted so aggressively and put us and civilians at risk.''
In a previous interview, the stepfather of the accused teen said the family has been begging for help from the Summit County juvenile justice system, which the young man has been involved with for about three years, mostly on truancy charges.
A resident reported the manual transmission dump truck stolen early Saturday. Later in the morning, the vehicle was spotted near Fishcreek Road.
The pursuit began in a residential neighborhood on Saybrooke Boulevard. The truck then turned north on Fishcreek Road, where a police sports utility vehicle got in front of it. The truck rammed into the back of the SUV and then quickly reversed and rammed into the front of a cruiser, damaging the front of the car.
Drives backward
The truck continued in reverse, south on Fishcreek toward Graham Road. Another cruiser briefly drove backward alongside the dump truck before turning around and positioning itself in between the oncoming truck and private cars waiting at the intersection of Fishcreek and Graham.
The dump truck rammed into the cruiser, spinning it around and totaling it. The truck then struck several private vehicles before going through the intersection, shifting into drive and turning west on Graham Road.
The truck traveled through residential neighborhoods before heading to Route 8 near Hudson Drive and Graham Road, close to a Walmart. Video footage shows the truck barely missing another vehicle going straight through the intersection.
Dirker said several Stow police vehicles stayed in pursuit the whole time. Since the truck could not reach high speeds, the pursuit was considered ''reasonable and under control,'' Dirker said. Stop sticks were used throughout the pursuit, but the tires were most likely too large for them to work, he said.
''If the guy was driving very recklessly in a souped-up car and we couldn't keep up, we might have been forced to call off the pursuit,'' Dirker said.
A roadblock was never considered because they are very dangerous and could result in more injury, Dirker said. Police said the top speed in the pursuit was 74 miles per hour.
Dirker said no shots were fired during the chase.
''We do not shoot at moving vehicles and especially not in a crowded intersection,'' he said.
Stow police were assisted by police from Cuyahoga Falls, Akron, Canton and the State Highway Patrol.
What a heck of driver for a 17 year old kid.
ReplyDeleteI am sure this video will be used in movies to come this kid will get job offers like no one.