Vehicle in police pursuit catches fire while fleeing down road
Three people are in custody after a police pursuit involving a vehicle connected to two Cincinnati shootings.
By Taylor Weiter, Felicia Jordan
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SHARONVILLE, Ohio (WCPO) — Three people are in custody after a police pursuit involving a vehicle connected to two Cincinnati shootings.
Sharonville police said in a release they were alerted by the ATF that a person inside a silver Ford Explorer wanted for questioning had been seen in the area. Police said officers located the vehicle, which had been identified by Flock license plate reader cameras, in the 11000 block of Lebanon Road at around 6 p.m. Thursday.
When officers tried to conduct a traffic stop, Sharonville police said the driver took off. Police then followed the car onto I-275 and I-71 until it got off on Montgomery Road.
Police said the car eventually suffered engine failure and caught fire near the intersection of Orchard and Ohio avenues in Silverton. The three people inside ran from the car, but were found by officers.
Sharonville police released a clip showing dash and body camera footage that shows part of the chase. As the video starts, officers are pursuing the driver through Kenwood; the sign for the Kenwood mall can be seen in footage.
“He just wrecked into four vehicles, we’re continuing, we’re continuing,” said the officer in the dash camera footage. “This car’s going to be disabled here shortly, so stand by.”
In the video, police follow the vehicle through multiple intersections. The vehicle’s front bumper appears to be partially detached and dragging on the ground by this point in the pursuit. The right passenger tire also appears to be flat.
Still, the driver continues, swerving through lanes erratically in heavy traffic and swerving from side to side.
The video then cuts to later in the chase and the vehicle swerves to the right and flames begin to appear from underneath of it.
“Right on Orchard, car’s on fire, start fire,” the officer said.
Sharonville police said no one was injured in the pursuit. However, the car did hit multiple vehicles, causing minor damage.
Still, the driver continues on and flames can be seen clearly, coming from under the right side of the vehicle. Flaming tire tracks can also be seen as the officer pursues.
The vehicle stops on Orchard and one person can be seen jumping out and running away; the officer’s dash camera does not capture the full scene at this point, because it’s pointed away from the vehicle on fire.
The clip then jumps again to body camera footage that shows the vehicle as it becomes engulfed in fire.
Both the ATF and Sharonville police are investigating the incident.
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