Video: Ohio Police Arrest 7 Teens After Chase Breaks Up High School Soccer Practice

A Dayton police pursuit involving a stolen SUV ended with seven teens arrested and four stolen firearms recovered, including a gun equipped with a switch that enabled automatic fire.

What to Know

  • Dayton police chased a stolen SUV carrying seven teenagers after officers spotted the vehicle without a license plate during a Violent Crime Reduction Initiative patrol.
  • An Ohio State Highway Patrol helicopter tracked the SUV for more than 20 minutes after ground officers ended the pursuit, and the teens fled on foot near a high school soccer practice that was cut short because of the police activity.
  • All seven teens were arrested, and police recovered four firearms, including a gun equipped with a switch that allowed automatic fire.

A high school soccer practice ended early last week when Ohio police chased fleeing teens who were later found with several stolen firearms.

The incident happened at about 8 p.m. Thursday when Dayton police officers working as part of a Violent Crime Reduction Initiative spotted seven teenagers in an SUV, later found to be stolen, without a license plate, the department stated in a social media post. The vehicle sped away before officers could turn around and stop it, kicking off a chase.

An Ohio State Highway Patrol helicopter began following the SUV, and that led to the officers on the ground to discontinue their pursuit. The helicopter stayed with the SUV for just over 20 minutes before the vehicle's front driver side tire was damaged when it struck a curb.

The teens then fled on foot, with some of them running near a high school, where a soccer practice was happening. The practice was forced to end because of the police presence, and video footage from the helicopter, as well as dashboard cameras, captured the foot chase.

Three females—two 15-year-olds and a 16-year-old—and four males—two 16-year-olds, a 15-year-old and a 17-year-old—were taken into custody. The females were arrested on misdemeanor charges, and the males face felony charges.

Four firearms were recovered in the incident, including a gun with a swithc that enabled automatic fire.

About the Author

Joe Vince

Joining Endeavor Business Media in 2018, Joe has worked on the company's city services publications. He began working at OFFICER.com as the assistant editor. Before starting at Endeavor, Joe had worked for a variety of print and online news outlets, including the Indianapolis Star, the South Bend Tribune, Reddit and Patch.com.
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