Columbus police arrest two early Friday in connection with shootout that wounded officer

Two males were arrested early Friday morning by Columbus police after an hourslong manhunt as the result of an armed robbery spree Thursday that left an officer wounded and one suspect dead in a shootout on the interstate.

The males, whose names and ages have not yet been released, were detained around 1:30 a.m. Friday as "people of interest" at a home in North Linden.

Questions are being asked after the males ran away on foot from a shootout around 4 p.m. Thursday on Interstate 70 east near the West Mound Street exit in South Franklinton.

More on the shootout: Columbus police officer shot after robberies, shootout near I-70: Here's what we know

SUV stolen from a dealership in Whitehall

One of at least three people that were in a Porsche SUV that was stolen from a dealership in Whitehall died at the scene. The other two, who were arrested Friday morning, ran on foot down a hill from the highway into the area of Mount Calvary Cemetery. The search drew a large police response as officers blocked streets and searched with a dog and police helicopter.

The wounded Columbus officer, who was struck high in the leg and critically wounded, was taken to OhioHealth Grant Medical Center by his partner. The officer underwent emergency surgery Thursday evening, according to Brian Steel, a Columbus police officer and executive vice president of Fraternal Order of Police Capital City Lodge No. 9.

The male officer, who has less than five years experience with Columbus police, was not identified by authorities on Thursday. His wife, family and other officers were gathered at the Downtown hospital, where his condition was upgraded to stable.

Steel, who was on duty at the time of the incident, called the two suspects at-large "wolves" during a press conference Thursday evening, and said police would eventually find them. He urged them to turn themselves in, citing what happened to the third member of their crew lying dead on Interstate 70.

"You rob a bank, you run from the police, you shoot us, we will shoot you back," Steel said.

Trio later robbed a Fifth Third Bank

The incident began around 2:15 p.m. Thursday, when one of the suspects stole the keys to a black Porsche Cayenne SUV at gunpoint from an employee at the Byers Import Porsche Columbus dealership on the 400 block of North Hamilton Road in Whitehall, according to Whitehall Deputy Police Chief Dan Kelso.

After the suspects drove off, the dealership turned on the SUV's anti-theft GPS tracking software and reported the stolen vehicle and its whereabouts to police, Kelso said.

The trio later robbed a Fifth Third Bank, 2455 Hilliard-Rome Road, on the city's Far West Side at gunpoint, but were quickly confronted by police. The suspects fled in the SUV with cash from the bank and a chase began, winding up on I-70 eastbound, said Columbus police Assistant Chief Greg Bodker.

Suspects began shooting at officers on the interstate around 4 p.m. near the West Mound Street ramp to I-70, where a shootout occurred. The officer was shot and a suspect was killed, Bodker said.

The wounded officer's partner rushed him to Grant Medical Center. Bodker said that all officers were wearing body cameras during the incident. The Ohio Bureau of Investigation, which investigates all shootings involving Columbus police that end in injury or death, was handling the shootout investigation and will be first to review the body camera footage.

A swarm of law enforcement vehicles surrounded the stolen vehicle in the middle of I-70.

Police Chief Elaine Bryant repeated the call for the suspects to turn themselves in to media outside Grant hospital Thursday night, where she went to check on the wounded officer and his family. She, too, said that police would continue to hunt the suspects until they were found.

"I'd like to get these guys in custody...," Bodker said. "They're two dangerous individuals."

Several interstate sections were closed by police

According to the Ohio Department of Transportation, several interstate sections as well as a portion of Route 315 were closed by police during the intense search for the suspects. The shutdowns posed major problems for afternoon commuters.

Officers shut down I-70 in both directions through a large swath of the city and it remained closed late Thursday night while Ohio BCI investigators pored over the shooting scene. Numerous evidence markers indicating shell casings were seen on the interstate along with the black Porsche SUV, stopped in the middle of the interstate with at least the front and rear passenger doors open.

Dispatch reporters Max Filby, Cole Behrens and Jenn Smola contributed to this article.

bbruner@dispatch.com

@bethany_bruner

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus police arrest two Friday after officer shot, suspect killed