COLUMBUS, Ohio — Two teenagers accused of leading officers on a chase in a stolen vehicle and crashing into four cruisers appeared in court on Wednesday.
A police chase near the John Glenn Columbus International Airport involving the Whitehall Division of Police was first reported to Columbus police around 1:20 p.m.
The chase began in Whitehall after Flock cameras alerted officers to a stolen vehicle, police said.
Police said the driver hit a Columbus police cruiser head-on near Clime and River Bend roads on the city's southwest side. Three other cruisers were damaged during the pursuit.
No officers were injured in the crashes, according to police. It's unclear if anyone else was injured.
The two teens both have a history with stolen cars.
“Stolen cars have become an increasing problem in Franklin County. This is also considering the severity in nature of the incident, the amount of people who were impacted by it, community members who could have been impacted by the incident,” the prosecutor said in court.
Columbus police officer Shawn Lutz explained he's familiar with both teens and requested they be held in detention.
“This is not the first time he has fled and eluded police and I think the dangerous circumstances in which he continues to act with certain people and perpetuate these dangers, not only to the community, but also his record of non-compliance,” Lutz said.
Whitehall Deputy Chief Dan Kelso hopes these teens start getting the message before they hurt someone, or themselves.
“We have been told by the kids involved in this they are not worried about that end of it. They are right back out, sometimes the same day,” Kelso said.
Both of the juveniles were held in detention until their next hearing.
📺 10TV+ is available for free: Stay up to date on what's happening in your community with a 24/7 live stream and on demand content from 10TV — available on Roku, Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV.
📧 Subscribe to the Wake Up CBUS newsletter featuring the best stories, personally curated by members of our staff and delivered via email by 6 a.m., Monday through Friday.
