Officers searched for a suspect after a report of a hostage situation in Wayne Hills early Tuesday morning.
Just after 2 am, Portsmouth Police were called to an apartment on Kendall Avenue for a reported domestic dispute. When Officer Michael Taylor arrived on the scene, he said an elderly woman informed him that her daughter was the victim in a frightening threat of violence.
The woman said that the man sitting inside a dark-colored Chevy was armed with a gun. She claimed the man had attempted to hold her daughter hostage with the weapon.
The Chase
Officer Taylor attempted to stop the vehicle at the intersection of Wayne and Thomas Avenue. The driver refused to stop. He turned south onto Thomas with Taylor in pursuit. Then he turned west on 17th Street and headed towards Linden Avenue with Taylor still following.
The suspect stopped the vehicle in the 1600 block of Linden Avenue. He hopped out of the car and fled the scene on foot running between houses. Office Taylor was not able to locate him. The vehicle was impounded and towed. Officers believe they know who was driving and he isn’t the registered owner. The owner was notified about his vehicle.
No Charges
Officer Taylor then tried to find the victim in the incident. However, she wasn’t interested in speaking with him either. It turns out that she had warrants through the Scioto County Sheriff’s Office and wasn’t willing to make herself available.
Right now, officers don’t have a reporting party so there’s not a whole lot more they can do. As someone who reads the police logs on a daily basis, I can tell you this is not an unusual situation.
Experts estimate that in half of all domestic violence cases, charges are dropped because witnesses refuse to cooperate with the police.
