Two Ohio Officers Injured in Fatal Chase, Shooting

BLUE ASH, Ohio --

One man is dead and two officers are injured after an overnight chase and shooting.

Police said an officer tried to pull over a car on Cornell Road near Sycamore High School for driving without lights just before 12:30 a.m.

The officer told dispatchers that he thought the Monte Carlo might be one stolen from Clermont County last week.

Officers said the driver of the car, Charles Wayne Bennett, tried to run over the officer, then raced away, turning onto Reed Hartman Highway.

As officers pursued the car at speeds up to 100 mph, they said Bennett rammed his car into a police cruiser, then hit a tree.

But when officers approached on foot near Cooper Road, police said, Bennett drove the car at them again and continued down Reed Hartman as police fired on the car.

"The vehicle was being used as a weapon," said police Capt. James Schaffer.

After another collision, the car stopped again, and an officer attempted to arrest Bennett. When Bennett tried to hit the officer with the car, the officer ended up on the car's hood and fired twice, hitting Bennett at least once.

Bennett, 37, was taken to Bethesda North Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Blue Ash police said two officers suffered injuries in the chase.

One officer was treated and released, while the other is still undergoing treatment.

A passenger in Bennett's car was hit by flying glass, but was not seriously hurt.

Neighbor Daryl Black, 28, said he'd gotten a ride to Walgreen's with Bennett, who he said "went crazy" when police turned on their lights.

"I'm screaming at him, ‘Get me out of this car -- you're going to cost me my life,'" Black said.

The man said he tried to wrest the steering wheel from Bennett, who Black said punched him in the face during the struggle.

Police said three officers fired on Bennett, who officers said had a criminal history of drug trafficking.

"It was a shame that Wayne had to lose his life over something so stupid," Black said.

One officer was treated and released at the hospital, and a second was treated at the scene, police said. Two police cruisers were heavily damaged, police said.

The three officers who fired shots were put on paid administrative leave, under department policy. Schaffer didn't release their names, but said they are veteran officers.

Copyright 2007 by WLWT.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.