A suspect is in critical condition following an officer-involved shooting and multi-agency vehicle pursuit that began Wednesday afternoon in Wooster.
According to a press release from the Wooster Police Department, officers were investigating the theft of a license plate reported around 3:30 p.m. in the 600 block of Madison Avenue. The stolen plate was flagged in the city’s Flock camera system, which revealed it had been affixed to a silver Honda Pilot traveling through the northern part of the city.
Police located the vehicle and initiated a pursuit, but it was quickly called off. A short time later, the same vehicle was spotted on the east side of town, where an officer attempted a traffic stop near Geyers Chapel Road, just south of Back Orrville Road. Authorities say the suspect exited the vehicle and fired several rounds at the officer, who returned fire. The suspect then fled in the vehicle. Due to the patrol car being damaged by gunfire, Wooster police did not pursue.
The Wayne County Sheriff’s Office and Ohio State Highway Patrol later located the vehicle and initiated a second pursuit. During the chase, the suspect reportedly fired multiple rounds from the vehicle at pursuing officers. Law enforcement did not return fire during this part of the incident.
The pursuit concluded when the Ohio State Highway Patrol and Dalton Police Department collided with the suspect’s vehicle on Cleveland Road at the Dix Expressway exit ramp. The suspect was taken into custody, transported to Wooster Community Hospital, and then flown by medical helicopter to Akron General Hospital with life-threatening injuries from an apparent gunshot wound.
No officers were injured during the incident.
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the Ohio State Highway Patrol are assisting with the ongoing investigation. Agencies involved in the response included the Wooster Police Department, Wayne County Sheriff’s Department, Ohio State Highway Patrol, Dalton Police Department, and the Medway Drug Enforcement Agency.
