A very bad driver led a Portsmouth, Ohio Police Officer on wild police chase last Wednesday. In the end, he learned that while you can run from the police, you really can’t hide. Here’s what Officer John Dixon said went down.
Driving On The Sidewalk
Officer Dixon said he was parked near the light at 2nd and Chillicothe. He saw a white Ford Focus pull up to the traffic signal and stop. Dixon then observed a red Dodge Charger crash into the rear of the Ford Focus.
Dixon pulled his clearly marked patrol car to the scene of the accident. That’s when the driver of the Charger made a stupid move. He backed his vehicle up and then drove onto the sidewalk right past Officer Dixon’s vehicle. Dixon said he got a very good look at the driver.
According to the police report, there were pedestrians on the sidewalk. Dixon was also concerned because the accident was right across the street from the dog park, so there were plenty of people and animals in the area.
The Chase
The Officer said it was clear that the man had no intention of staying at the accident scene.
Once the man drove around the police car, he sped onto the Grant Bridge in the direction of Kentucky in what Dixon called “a reckless manner.”
The officer turned on his lights and siren and attempted and began a wild police chase. The suspect turned west from the bridge and continued to speed down single-lane country roads with his tires smoking. He also attempted to drive around a tractor-trailer and another vehicle. This reckless driver also hit a hillside and a guard rail, but he just kept going.
Dixon’s Sergeant ordered him to break off the pursuit after 15 minutes. However, once the officer returned to the Portsmouth Police Department, he was able to run the vehicle registration and get a picture of the registered owner. Dixon was able to match that photo to the guy he saw driving the car.
The folks the suspect crashed into were well enough to go get some gas but the woman asked to be checked out medically later. The police called an ambulance for her.