A dispute over a towed Toyota Camry at a West Columbus intersection escalated into a multi-mile police pursuit Monday after the car's owner allegedly stole the tow truck sent to clear the road, then fled roughly a dozen miles before officers cornered him inside a bank. Abdifateh Hassan was arrested inside a Chase Bank branch on Sawmill Road after the chase ended, according to police.
A Routine Call Turns Into a Standoff
Police were called to Trabue Road and North Wilson Road in West Columbus on Monday after receiving a report that a Toyota Camry was blocking the roadway, according to WSYX. Officers responded and called for a tow truck to remove the vehicle and reopen the road. Hassan, identified by police as the Camry's owner, disputed the tow with both the responding officers and the tow truck driver, per that report.
While officers were still completing paperwork and the tow truck driver had stepped outside the vehicle, Hassan allegedly got behind the wheel of the tow truck itself and drove off with it, police said. Multiple officers attempted to stop him using cruiser lights and sirens, but Hassan disregarded their commands and kept driving, according to police accounts relayed in the same report.
A Chase Spanning Much of Columbus
From the intersection of Trabue and North Wilson, Hassan fled roughly 11 to 12 miles across the metro area to a Chase Bank branch at 6591 Sawmill Road in Northwest Columbus, according to officers. The route traces a path from an industrial corridor in West Columbus to one of the city's busier commercial strips to the north. Once there, Hassan ran into the bank, where police caught up with him and made the arrest inside.
The stolen tow truck belonged to Pro-Tow Inc., a Columbus towing company founded in 1994 and headquartered at 400 Stimmel Road, according to records from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. The company runs a commercial fleet of 55 power units and provides 24-hour light- and heavy-duty towing across Metro Columbus highways, including I-70, I-71, and I-270. Pro-Tow has also held an A+ rating and been an accredited Central Ohio business since March 2012, per the Better Business Bureau. Police said Pro-Tow wanted to prosecute Hassan over the theft of its vehicle.
Potential Felony Exposure
Under Ohio law, the theft of any motor vehicle — regardless of its value — is automatically charged as grand theft of a motor vehicle, a fourth-degree felony carrying six to 18 months in prison and fines up to $5,000, according to guidance from Luftman, Heck & Associates that cites Ohio Revised Code § 2913.02(B)(5). Separately, willfully fleeing or failing to comply with a police order is a first-degree misdemeanor punishable by up to 180 days in jail, but the charge escalates to a third-degree felony carrying up to 36 months in prison if the flight creates a substantial risk of serious physical harm, per an explainer from the Maher Law Firm on Ohio Revised Code § 2921.331. That statute also carries a mandatory driver's license suspension ranging from six months to three years.
Vehicle Theft Remains a Citywide Flashpoint
The incident lands amid heightened attention to vehicle-related crime in Columbus. City Attorney Zach Klein announced a $1 million settlement this month with automakers Kia and Hyundai over vehicle security vulnerabilities that fueled a surge in local auto thefts and strained police resources, according to WBNS 10TV.
It remains unclear whether formal charges have been filed against Hassan in connection with Monday's incident.
