A very strange call for emergency services ended with a violent crash in Dayton, Ohio on Monday. After initially responding to an accident involving a vehicle and a pedestrian, officers found that the driver allegedly hit the person, a family member, intentionally. Then, the driver reportedly brandished a firearm and aimed it at police as he drove away. The chase ended with the driver hitting a police SUV head-on and coming to rest on its roof.
The chase began at Voyager Village mobile home park in Trotwood. Police arrived at the park and found a woman who had reportedly been hit by a relative in a truck. Authorities say that the relative then sped by police and pointed a long gun at them in the process. Naturally, the police gave chase.
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At some point during the pursuit, police say the man allegedly began firing his weapon at officers. Then, at U.S. 35 and Liscum Drive, he smashed head-on into two police cars and came to rest atop one. Video of the incident seems to indicate that police immediately opened fire on the truck driver despite the fact that an officer in the SUV beneath the truck and bystanders nearby were in the line of fire.
As a result of the chase, crash, and gunfire, both a Trotwood Officer and the suspect are currently hospitalized. The driver of the pickup truck is in stable condition receiving treatment for gunshot wounds and injuries sustained in the crash. Meanwhile, the officer who was inside the crushed cruiser also remains in stable condition.
Trotwood Police Chief Erik Wilson told the Dayton Daily News that the suspect didn’t hit anyone with gunfire and that the family member who he allegedly struck went to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Authorities later identified the suspect in the chase as 54-year-old James Skirvin. According to NBC4i, police stated that Skirvin had a Florida residency, and the pickup truck he drove bore Florida license plates. Despite having no prior criminal record, Skirvin may now potentially face multiple felony charges in connection with the incident.
Dayton Police Chief Kamran Afzal highlighted that due to the investigation spanning multiple scenes and jurisdictions, it is more intricate than typical cases, with further details to be released as the investigation progresses.
“We asked the Bureau of Criminal Investigation to come in and investigate it,” Montgomery County Sheriff Rob Streck told the Dayton Daily News. “Our goal right now is to give them everything they need, give them access to everything they need and then once we’re comfortable that they’re up to date I’m sure there will be a much more detailed presser.”