A passenger in an SUV was injured when the driver accelerated toward two Tuscarawas County Sheriff's Office deputies, and one of them fired a shot at the vehicle.
According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the incident started around 11 p.m. on Interstate 77 at the Strasburg exit in Franklin Township when a trooper from the New Philadelphia post initiated a traffic stop on a 2014 Ford Explorer for a turn signal violation.
The SUV exited the highway and then pulled into a nearby gas station. The trooper called for backup, and when other patrol officers arrived, an occupant in the back seat got out of the vehicle, and the SUV fled from the gas station.
Sheriff's deputies assisted with the pursuit by deploying stop sticks near Blacksnake Hill and Schneiders Crossing roads. The SUV stopped before hitting the barrier but then accelerated towards two deputies. OSHP said one of the deputies fired their weapon, and the gunfire struck the SUV's front-seat passenger.
The SUV then fled again but stopped a short distance later on State Route 212, where authorities took the occupants into custody.
The driver was identified as a 43-year-old man from Gnadenhutten, who was found to have active warrants and no driver's license. He was charged with failure to comply and felonious assault and taken to the Tuscarawas County Jail.
The passenger was taken to a nearby hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
