An intense car police chase turned into a shootout in Wooster, Ohio, on April 2, and the footage is circulating the internet. The pursuit followed a reported stolen license plate incident that led officers to a silver Honda Pilot with the stolen license plate.
Around 3:30 p.m. police started probing the stolen license plate from Madison, according to a report. The Flock Camera system quickly traced the plate, identifying that a Honda Pilot heading to the northern part of the city had the license plate. A brief pursuit was initiated but later called off.
According to the report, police saw the vehicle again along the east side of the town. When an officer near Geyers Chapel Road attempted to initiate a traffic stop, the situation became chaotic. The suspect in the Honda Pilot exited the car and began shooting the officer’s patrol car, which was captured on the officer’s body cam.
After the shooting ceased, the suspect – the officer returned fire. However, the suspect, who had retreated into his vehicle, immediately started to flee the scene. Afterwards, a pursuit ensued involving multiple police vehicles from the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department, Ohio State Highway Patrol, and Dalton Police Department.
The suspect reportedly discharged his weapon at the police during the chase, firing multiple shots, but the pursuing officers did not exchange gunfire during that phase of the chase. At approximately 4:49 p.m., the suspect’s vehicle was seen careening off the road onto a grassy field after colliding with a patrol car along Cleveland Rd. at the Dix Motorway. He came to a stop as he reached a point of no escape.
Officers exited their vehicles and confronted the suspect, who, after a brief delay, emerged from his car with his hands raised. An officer noted that one of his hands was not visible when he lay on the ground, and the suspect claimed inability to move it.
A close examination of the video revealed blood on the sleeve of his shirt.
According to the report, the suspect was transported to Wooster Community Hospital before being airlifted to Akron General Hospital due to the life-threatening injuries he sustained from a gunshot wound.
