A 20-year-old Dayton man is facing a charge after allegedly leading police on a chase that topped 100 mph through three counties before ending at a roundabout near Franklin High School early Thursday morning. Zion Smith struggled briefly with officers before his arrest at the Community Park roundabout on State Route 123, where his vehicle struck a Franklin police cruiser before an officer performed a PIT maneuver to stop him.
According to WKRC, the pursuit began in Hamilton County and continued through Montgomery and Warren counties on Interstate 75 before the vehicle exited onto SR 123 at about 1:45 a.m. Thursday. Police say the vehicle then tried to drive over a curb at the roundabout near Community Park and hit a Franklin cruiser, after which an officer performed the PIT maneuver that brought the chase to a stop. Officers then boxed in the vehicle and arrested Smith, who police say struggled briefly before being taken into custody. No one was hurt in the pursuit, according to the report.
A Roundabout Built to Slow Traffic Becomes the Chase's End Point
The Community Park roundabout where the chase ended is part of an S.R. 123 intersection realignment project near Franklin High School, according to the City of Franklin. The roundabout became the terminus for a pursuit that reportedly hit speeds of more than 100 mph on I-75.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol is now investigating the chase, per the WKRC report. Smith faces a charge of failure to comply, stemming from his alleged refusal to stop for police during the pursuit that stretched from suburban Cincinnati through Warren County to SR 123.
What Ohio Law Says About Fleeing Police
Under Ohio Revised Code § 2921.331, willfully fleeing or eluding a police officer is elevated to a third-degree felony when the vehicle's operation creates a substantial risk of serious physical harm to persons or property, a threshold that can carry potential penalties of 9 to 36 months in prison, according to FindLaw. Any prison sentence imposed for a felony fleeing conviction must legally be served consecutively to any other prison term, meaning it cannot run concurrently even if the offender faces additional charges elsewhere.
A conviction under Ohio's failure-to-comply statute also triggers a mandatory driver's license suspension classified as a class two suspension for a division (B) violation, a class five suspension for a division (A) violation, and a class one suspension for a prior offense, along with six mandatory points assessed against the driver's state record, according to Riddell Law LLC. It remains unclear from available reporting whether prosecutors will pursue the felony-level charge tied to the substantial-risk provision or a lesser version of the offense in Smith's case.
PIT Maneuvers Are a Regular Tool for Franklin Police
The Franklin Division of Police has posted about PIT maneuvers, including posts dated February 18, 2026, and May 18, 2025. A PIT maneuver can force a fleeing vehicle to spin out.
The chase fits into a broader statewide pattern: data compiled by the Ohio State Highway Patrol and cited in state legislative records showed a 33 percent increase in vehicle pursuits over a five-year period, a trend that has prompted lawmakers to propose raising penalties for fleeing, according to the Ohio House of Representatives. Smith's case is expected to continue.
