DAYTON, OH - LiveNow from FOX reports that a man who sped through a crash scene in a stolen Toyota SUV stole a Dayton police cruiser when he was stopped after a brief pursuit. Police used a PIT maneuver to stop the car, which was operating recklessly through the streets.
After being stopped, the suspect got out, got into the police cruiser, and drove off despite officers’ orders to leave the car.
Dashcam footage from the cruiser showed it speeding into the front of a house a short distance away.
“The suspect then attacked an officer, attempted to steal his gun, and bit the officer,” Dayton police officials said. “Force was used to take the suspect into custody as he continued to actively resist arrest.”
The outlet reported seven officers were injured while taking the suspect, identified by Yahoo News as Tywon Stephens, 27, into custody. Six officers were transported to the hospital for treatment of their injuries. Two people inside the home struck by the stolen cruiser were taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Police said Stephens has been connected to an aggravated robbery in Moraine, Ohio, and a homicide investigation in Miami Township.
Moraine police were dealing with the aggravated robbery call just before Stephens sped through the crash scene.
Meanwhile, the Miami Township Police Department said officers were dispatched to a welfare check on Sept. 4 and found a woman dead from a gunshot wound. Her car was missing, police said.
The agency connected the suspect to their investigation as well as a carjacking attempt in Moraine.
The dead woman was identified as Tiffany Collins, 36.
Stephens was booked into the Montgomery County Jail on Sept. 7 and was being held on a $500,000 bond with four pending felony charges: felonious assault on a peace officer, aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon, and two counts of failure to comply, WHIO reported, citing county court records.
Those charges are related to the pursuit and robbery cases. The homicide investigation remains active and ongoing, and no charges have yet been filed.
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation has assumed primary investigative authority for the homicide, WHIO reported.
The Dayton Police Department said its Violent Offender Unit and Traffic Services Unit are investigating the incidents involving Dayton PD officers. The Professional Standards Bureau is reviewing the entire incident after the criminal prosecution concludes.
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