By Neirin Gray Desai For Dailymail.Com
06:58 03 Aug 2023, updated 07:25 03 Aug 2023
- A man and woman were pulled over for driving without rear lights in Ohio
- After misidentifying themselves they fled and stole an occupied semi truck
- Hours later after a chase through several counties the truck was brought to a halt
- The truck driver was rescued but the man and woman were shot and both died
This is the terrifying moment cops rescued a trucker who was being held hostage by a couple who hijacked his semi-truck in the middle of the night and led cops on a three-hour long chase, before the pair were shot dead in a standoff.
New footage shows a group of Ohio state troopers swarm the truck on Wednesday morning and exchange fire with the couple, who were in the cabin.
After the shootout, the truck driver – who appeared with his hands up wearing an orange t-shirt, shorts and socks – was rescued with only minor injuries and the 54-year-old man and 51-year-old woman were pronounced dead in hospital.
The incident began six hours earlier at 1am when the couple were pulled over in their car by an officer with the London Police Department for having no rear lights or registration.
As the officer tried to identify them they fled in their car, which they then ditched at a truck stop. There, they hijacked the occupied semi and took off in that too.
Sgt. Orahood of the London Police Department told DailyMail.com it is not yet known why the couple fled and that his department had never dealt with them before.
The incident began just before 1am on August 2 when officers with London Police Department pulled over an old Dodge Caravan on State Route 42.
Inside the car was the man, the woman, and a dog.
Police body cam footage released on Wednesday evening showed the woman claim they had been at the emergency room because she had injured her eye.
‘I just poked myself in the eye, with the scissors,’ she could be heard saying.
When the cop asked for the man’s driver’s license, he explained that he had his wallet in the woman’s bag, but that her bag had been stolen. As he looked for items in the car he assured the officer he did not have a gun.
‘My social security, my license, everything was in that thing,’ he told the cop.
During the interaction the dog became increasingly agitated and restless, and both the couple and the cop attempted to calm it.
When the couple were asked for their names, they misidentified themselves, according to a subsequent statement from police. They said they were Rodney and Barbara Taylor of Somerset, Kentucky, born in 1968 and 1972 respectively.
As the officer that initiated the traffic stop returned briefly to his cruiser, the Dodge Caravan was turned on and took off, causing the officer to jump back in his patrol vehicle and give chase.
Within around ten minutes the couple pulled into a truck stop by a gas station and abandoned their car before fleeing on foot across the parking lot.
The officer also exited his car and chased the pair with his taser drawn. The officer then exclaimed that the man had a gun and took cover behind a parked car.
‘He’s got a gun,’ the officer was heard shouting as other police arrived at the scene.
Footage captured from the officer’s patrol vehicle showed the man attempting to flee with his trousers around his angles, causing him to fall over.
Police Chief Glenn Nicol said the man did not fire the gun at that moment, but that a live round was found at the truck stop later.
‘As the officer attempted to deploy a taser, the male suspect fell and pointed a handgun at the officer,’ read a police statement. ‘The suspect was able to flee to a nearby semi-tractor with no trailer.’
The couple both got into that unlocked parked semi, whose driver was in the cabin at the time.
Other officers from the London Police Department attempted to coax the pair out of the semi using a megaphone, but after about 20 minutes, at 1.30am, it pulled out of its parking spot, hitting a cruiser in the process.
A chase across multiple counties ensued, involving state troopers and police officers, as well as deputies from the Madison County Sheriff’s Office.
According to Nicol, the top speeds reached in the chase were between 60 and 65 mph.
‘Usually we try to not engage in such a long pursuit,’ he said. ‘However with the speeds and the seriousness of crime and with the abduction taking place we had to maintain contact with that vehicle.’
At around 3.20am the semi was brought to a halt and deputies attempted to negotiate the release of the driver, who was being held hostage by the couple.
OSHP Lt. Nathan Dennis said the chase ended at Interstate 70 near Dayton International Airport Access Road in Montgomery County.
Authorities negotiated with the two suspects over cellphone for about four hours before choosing to approach the vehicle to free the hostage.
Footage showed how at around 7.30am Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Special Response Team surrounded the truck and gunfire was exchanged.
‘As troopers approached, they were fired upon. Troopers returned fire, striking both the male and female suspects,’ read the police statement.
Both the man and woman were then taken to the nearby Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton. The woman was pronounced dead on arrival and at around 12.30am, the man was also pronounced dead.
The truck driver was also hospitalized but only had minor injuries – it is not clear if he was struck.
The I-70 ramps to Dayton International Airport Access Road as well as Dayton International Airport Access Road were closed for several hours.
No officers were injured in the shooting and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is investigating.
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