Chaos unfolded in the Hilltop neighborhood of Columbus yesterday as two police officers sustained injuries in the process of arresting suspects implicated in a reported armed robbery. The sequence of disruptive events initiated when a civilian, reportedly robbed at gunpoint at the intersection of Sullivant and Ogden avenues, alerted the Columbus Division of Police to the crime, offering a description of the suspects and their vehicle. Later, when police encountered said vehicle at East Livingston Avenue and Alum Creek Drive, the suspects refused to comply, leading to a police pursuit and, eventually, a collision into a building on the 1100 block of Alum Creek Drive, WBNS reported.
According to ABC6, after the vehicular turmoil, the suspects attempted to flee on foot, one armed with a handgun, before being apprehended by the authorities. The officers’ attempt to secure the situation was marred, not only by the suspects' vehicle crashing but by one police cruiser also colliding with the same structure, which led to the injuries of two officers who received hospital treatment and were later released. Sgt. James Fuqua with the Public Information Unit disclosed that the suspects had been in possession of a stolen vehicle tag from the West Columbus robbery.
The pursuit didn't just leave physical wreckage in its wake, but also a slew of unanswered questions after it was reported that at least one shot was discharged during the high-stress infliction, the origin of which remains unverified. NBC4i added that adjacent to the panic, another police officer was involved in a separate accident en route to join the chase and was admitted to a nearby hospital in an undisclosed condition.
Felony charges are now hanging over the suspects, as they face the consequences of the alleged armed robbery. In a statement obtained by WBNS, police confirmed the recovery of a firearm from the scene, which may be a critical piece of evidence as the homicide unit takes the reins to further investigate the perplexing incident, one which left a community touched by violence and the pursuing keepers of law and order wounded but undeterred.
