Police Chase Ends in Horrific Crash
A police pursuit ended with a severe crash on the Scioto Trail on Thursday afternoon. Just after 3:30 pm, the Ohio State Patrol was pursuing a vehicle on the Scioto Trail when it crashed head-on into another vehicle.
EMS and Portsmouth Police responded to the scene and transported an accident victim to a landing zone on 25th Street. Video from the scene shows officers removing at least two males from a vehicle and placing them in restraints. According to the police log, a 17-year-old boy was also taken into custody.
As a result of the crash and blocked road, a semi headed up 24th Street and got stuck, but was able to figure out how to turn around without assistance.
Publisher’s Note: The primary agency on this chase and the resulting crash was the Ohio State Highway Patrol. SCDN reached out to our regular Public Information Officer for a statement.
What prompted OSP to initiate the stop that resulted in the high-speed chase has not been disclosed. The names of the people injured, or possibly killed, in this crash have not yet been released. The names and official charges of the suspects have not been released.
A review of the scanner traffic revealed that 6 ambulances were requested, at least 2 helicopters arrived to transport the injured, and that a police escort was requested to follow one ambulance to SOMC.
SCDN is working to obtain a complete statement from the OSP and all dashcam/bodycam videos. We will update you when the requested information is made available.
Update #1
This update comes from initial reports from the OSP.
The Scioto County Sheriff’s Office reported two vehicles pointing guns out of the windows near Lucasville. The Ohio State Highway Patrol responded. The incident rapidly escalated, resulting in a police pursuit and two crashes.
A pursuit ensued after the vehicles were located on U.S. 23 in Lucasville. When the first vehicle, a red 2017 Kia Soul, attempted to make a turn at the intersection of U.S. 23 and Houston Hollow-Long Run, it crashed into a concrete bridge. A Trooper who remained with the Kia apprehended the 15-year-old driver, who fled on foot.
Another vehicle, a black 2011 Hyundai Elantra, continued southbound on U.S. 23 with a Trooper and Deputy in pursuit. After entering Portsmouth, the Hyundai traveled left of center and collided head-on with a northbound 2015 Dodge Challenger.
The juvenile suspects were ultimately identified as residents of Kentucky, as all occupants of both vehicles refused to cooperate. A 15-year-old boy from Boyd County, Kentucky, is a reported runaway, while a 17-year-old is not officially reported.
The other two suspects were from Kenova, WV. The black Hyundai had been reported stolen from Ashland, KY, while the red Kia’s owners were unaware that their vehicle had been stolen from the parking lot of a hospital in Huntington, WV.