Police: Juvenile suspect in string of NKY thefts arrested after pursuit, fiery crash
Editor's note: Police initially released information saying the residents injured in the car theft were husband and wife. This story has been updated.
Police are investigating a string of thefts in Erlanger and Elsmere that happened earlier this week, including a car theft during which two people were nearly run over, officials said.
The suspects were witnessed trying to break into a car as it warmed up in the driveway of a home on Hallam Avenue early Wednesday morning, police said in a news release.
As the thieves sped away in the car, they struck and injured the victims, police said, adding another car fled with the stolen vehicle.
One of the thieves fired a single gunshot, which the pair believes was directed toward them, according to police.
Anisha Rodgers told Enquirer media partner Fox19 she was getting ready for work when the theft happened.
“We’d seen the guy from the truck come over and jump in my passenger seat,” she said.
Anisha Rodgers said she and her brother, Brandon Rodgers, tried to stop them, but the suspects opened fire in their direction.
“You’ve got four kids jumping out of an SUV, running up, so you run out because you notice they’re younger,” Brandon said. “And all of a sudden, they’re firing shots at you. That’s what got me. That’s what scared me.”
The stolen car was tracked to a gas station in Carrollton, Kentucky, police said.
After the car was stolen from Hallam Avenue, three cars, all occupied by the suspected thieves, traveled to Carrollton, where the stolen car was "electronically disabled," police said, adding the thieves were forced to abandon it.
A Carroll County Sheriff's deputy encountered two cars fleeing from the direction of the gas station and alerted Kentucky State Police, the release states.
Troopers pursued the suspected thieves for several minutes until one car crashed in Louisville, police said, adding the occupants fled as the car caught fire and completely burned.
A juvenile suspect was arrested, police said. Authorities recovered a loaded Taurus 9mm from the roadway along the pursuit's path. Investigators believe one of the occupants tossed it during the chase, according to the release.
After a review of security camera footage, investigators determined 11 suspects from two cars perpetrated several thefts in Erlanger and Elsmere Wednesday morning, police said.
"This is not an isolated incident," the release states. "These individuals are armed and extremely dangerous."
Residents are being advised to lock their car doors, refrain from leaving anything valuable inside their vehicle and to ensure they don't leave their cars running unattended.
Anyone with information regarding these thefts is urged to contact the Erlanger Police Department at 859-356-3191.
Enquirer media partner Fox19 contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Juvenile suspect in NKY thefts arrested after pursuit, fiery crash
