UPDATE: Police say driver killed during pursuit stole semi truck
UPDATE 4 p.m. September 5———————————————————————-
Police have identified the man who they fatally shot to end a police pursuit in Ohio on Tuesday.
The Allen County Sheriff’s Office has identified the man who was fatally shot by police as 46 year old Ohio resident Terry R. Pierce, Jr. Pierce was fatally shot after leading police on a two-hour, two county pursuit.
Police say that they made the decision to use fatal force because Pierce was driving the semi into oncoming traffic.
Allen County Sheriff Matt Treglia said, “I, 100%, stand behind these officers and this administration for the way this was handled. I can honestly tell you, this guy had bad intentions of hurting citizens in Allen County, and there was no way I was going to let that happen. He was not going to get himself into a village or municipality with that truck because of things he was saying on the phone to our hostage negotiators. He repeatedly threatened to kill and run over people.”
Police also revealed that the truck that Pierce was driving was stolen from a GLM Transport location in Van Wert. Pierce was not a GLM Transport employee.
ORIGINAL REPORT———————————————————————————
Ohio police say that they fatally shot a driver in order to put a stop to a two-county pursuit.
The incident began around 8 a.m. on Tuesday, September 3, in Spencerville, Ohio when a Spencerville police officer attempted to pull over a semi truck because of a prior criminal complaint, according to the Toledo Blade.
The driver of the truck refused to stop and led police on a pursuit from Allen County into Van Wert County on U.S. 30.
Police say that they made multiple attempts to end the pursuit without bloodshed, including negotiating with the driver over the phone, using stop sticks, and shooting out the truck’s tires.
However, none of these tactics brought the truck to a stop. Police said that the driver made “multiple and repeated threats to kill people” and swerved into oncoming traffic.
Allen County Sheriff Matt Treglia stated in a press release that officers determined that the driver was an imminent threat to civilians and fired shots at the driver.
The driver was struck by gunfire and the semi truck came to a stop in the eastbound lanes of U.S. 30 just after 10 a.m.
The driver was later pronounced dead at the scene. His identity has not been released but police say that he was a 46 year old Allen County resident.
Multiple agencies were involved in the pursuit including the Spencerville Police Department, the Allen County Sheriff’s Office, the Ohio State Highway Patrol, and the Van Wert County Sheriff’s Office.
The incident is under investigation by the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office, Van Wert County Sheriff’s Office, and the Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Identification.
You can see video of the police pursuit below.