COLUMBUS, Ohio — Three officers with the Columbus Division of Police were injured late Wednesday night in two separate incidents in east Columbus that both involved being struck by vehicles.
The first incident occurred in the 1300 block of Coburg Road shortly after 11:30 p.m. after officers received a disturbance call involving two vehicles and a group of juveniles.
Upon arrival, officers found a vehicle traveling without its headlights on. After following the vehicle down a dead-end street, a 14-year-old boy got out of the vehicle and started running away. The juvenile was soon arrested behind a home.
Police said the driver attempted to drive away from the scene and struck one of the officers. The driver then left the vehicle in the area of Picard Road and Seabrook Avenue and ran away. It was later revealed that the vehicle had been stolen.
The officer who was struck was taken to Grant Medical Center and was treated for minor injuries.
“It makes me frustrated by unfortunately over the past two years it has become the norm in central Ohio. We have a problem with stolen vehicles,” said Pet Cascuccio with the Fraternal Order of Police.
Police said this has been a continuous problem in Columbus.
“Unfortunately the trend continues of juveniles stealing vehicles and driving recklessly. It's not only dangerous for the officers but also for the public and innocent bystanders,” said Columbus Police Commander Shaun Dillon.
The 14-year-old boy appeared in juvenile court Thursday afternoon.
“He's pretty good, he's not a bad kid, it's just the people he hangs around with that I don't want him hanging around with,” said the teen's mother.
The teen was released to his mom and will be placed on a GPS ankle monitor.
“We just ask these juveniles realize they are putting people’s lives in danger and they stop this behavior,” Dillon said.
The 14-year-old is scheduled to be back in court next month.
The second incident happened just before midnight. Police said two officers were inside a cruiser driving eastbound on East 5th Avenue approaching Interstate 670 when a silver Hyundai sedan ran a red light and struck the cruiser.
The vehicle left the scene in the area of East 5th Avenue and Stelzer Road and police have not located the vehicle or driver. It is currently unclear if the vehicle was stolen.
Two officers were taken to the hospital to be treated for minor injuries and were released.
No arrests have been made.
“Law enforcement is a dangerous job and it continues to be a dangerous job. Last night is another example of that,” said Dillon.
According to Columbus police, there have been over 1,100 reports of stolen vehicles from the beginning of this year through August. Of those, 712 were Kias and Hyundais.