Dash cam shows high-speed pursuit before stolen SUV crashes on I-71
Dash camera video released by the Franklin County Sheriff's office shows a stolen vehicle hit a deputy's cruiser, leading to a more than eight-minute pursuit on Interstate 71 Tuesday afternoon that resulted in a crash with injuries.
The pursuit ended when the driver crashed the car into other vehicles on I-71 northbound near the Cooke Road exit, flipping the car onto its side. Three teens suffered minor injuries in the crash, which closed a portion of the interstate for nearly two hours.
Columbus police had been following the suspected stolen vehicle, a dark-colored sedan, in the area of Livingston Avenue and Hamilton Road on the city's East Side, said Watch Commander Lt. Larry Yates. When officers attempted to pull the car over shortly after 5 p.m., he said, the driver fled.
Yates said Columbus police cruisers were called off the pursuit as the suspect fled south on Hamilton Road out of the city's jurisdiction, but a city police helicopter was in the area and continued to monitor the vehicle from overhead.
Deputies with the Franklin County Sheriff's office then took up the pursuit, which escalated when the suspect vehicle rammed a K9 sheriff deputy's cruiser in the area of Kimberly Parkway and South Hamilton Road, said Maureen Kocot, a spokeswoman for the sheriff's office.
The pursuit continued onto Interstate 70, transitioning to I-71 North as a Columbus police helicopter continued to watch from overhead, Yates said.
Eventually, the suspect vehicle became caught between two other vehicles, Yates said, causing the driver to lose control and flip the SUV at 5:18 p.m. near the East Cooke Road exit in North Linden.
Three juveniles and one adult were in the car at the time of the crash, Kocot said. All three juveniles were taken to Nationwide Children's Hospital to be treated for minor injuries while the adult was detained for questioning, Kocot said.
Charges are expected to be filed, Kocot added, though Franklin County was still reviewing dash cam video Wednesday and had no further information on charges.
The Columbus Division of Police is handling the crash report, which had not yet been completed, and no additional information was available as of mid-afternoon Wednesday.
Eric Lagatta is a reporter at the Columbus Dispatch covering public safety, breaking news and social justice issues. Reach him at elagatta@dispatch.com. Follow him on Twitter @EricLagatta
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Driver of suspected stolen vehicle crashes on I-71 after chase
