A Dayton police officer was in stable condition Tuesday night after he was struck by a minivan while trying to deploy a tire deflation device to stop another vehicle.
The intersection of Salem and Philadelphia avenues was blocked for hours after the incident, which occurred at approximately 6:20 p.m.
The officer, whose name was not released, was attempting to use the deflation device to stop a silver Dodge Durango driven by a man who was threatening to kill himself, Dayton Lt. Wendy Stiver said.
The minivan was driven by a woman with three children on board, Stiver said.
The officer was taken to Miami Valley Hospital, where he was listed in stable condition.
The driver of the Durango and the driver of the minivan were taken into custody. Police did not release their names nor information about potential charges against either of them.
At approximately 6 p.m., a witness reported seeing as many as six police cruisers pursuing the Durango at a slow pace along West Hillcrest Avenue, Catalpa Drive and North Main Street. The Durango was stopping at red lights and moving at about 25 mph, according to the witness.
Stiver said that at one point during the chase, the driver of the Durango yelled at an officer that he had a bomb inside the vehicle.
An officer with the bomb squad and a K-9 unit determined there was no bomb or explosive device in the vehicle.
A tire deflation device was successfully deployed near North Main Street and West Hillcrest Avenue, Stiver said.
Copyright 2012 Dayton Newspapers, Inc.
