A Montgomery County sheriff's deputy discharged a weapon Tuesday night after a driver with an active felony arrest warrant allegedly accelerated toward officers before crashing into a patrol cruiser, according to the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office. The confrontation capped a chase that began with a traffic stop on Old Riverside Drive around 11 p.m. and ended on Monroe Avenue, where the driver was eventually taken into custody.
According to the Sheriff's Office, as reported by Dayton 24/7 Now, deputies first tried to stop the vehicle on Old Riverside Drive after identifying the driver as someone with an active felony warrant. The driver allegedly fled instead of stopping, and an Ohio State Highway Patrol aircraft was brought in to track the vehicle from above as it moved through the area.
Troopers in the air relayed to deputies that the vehicle was exiting onto Monroe Avenue, and officers moved to intercept it there, the outlet's report notes. That is where the encounter turned dangerous: the driver allegedly steered into a yard on a dead-end street, then accelerated toward deputies who had already exited their patrol cars, per the same account.
Deputy Fires Weapon as Vehicle Strikes Cruiser
In response to the driver allegedly charging at them, one deputy discharged a weapon, the Sheriff's Office said. The vehicle then crashed into a Montgomery County Sheriff's Office cruiser, and the driver was taken into custody immediately after the collision, according to the report.
No injuries were reported in connection with the shooting or the crash, though the suspect was taken to a hospital for evaluation because of the collision, the station's report states. The suspect was later booked into the Montgomery County Jail.
Internal Review Underway, Deputy on Leave
The Sheriff's Office said it will open an internal investigation into the force used during the encounter, and investigators are expected to determine further details about what unfolded on Monroe Avenue. In line with department protocol following use-of-force incidents, the deputy who fired the weapon has been placed on Critical Incident Leave while that review proceeds.
Ohio law separately addresses conduct like fleeing from police during a traffic stop. Under Ohio Revised Code Section 2921.331, drivers are barred from failing to comply with a lawful order from an officer authorized to direct traffic, and a separate provision prohibits willfully eluding or fleeing an officer after a visible or audible signal to stop. How that statute applies to this specific case has not been detailed by authorities.
No further information about the identity of the driver, any charges filed, or the extent of damage to the cruiser has been released. The Sheriff's Office has not said when its internal review will be complete.
