Charges pending after multi-county pursuit, train crash, standoff in Miamisburg

MIAMISBURG, Ohio ( WDTN ) — Charges are pending for the man who led law enforcement on a multi-county pursuit before crashing into a train in downtown Miamisburg.

According to our 2 NEWS crew at the scene, numerous law enforcement agencies were in the area of Linden Avenue in Miamisburg on Friday afternoon.

According to a spokesperson with the Ohio State Highway Patrol, several agencies in southwest Ohio were advised to be on the lookout for a stolen Chevrolet truck that was involving in an incident on Friday morning in Butler Township.

Just before 2 p.m., officers with the Franklin Police Department spotted the vehicle on I-75. When the vehicle failed to stop, a pursuit ensued and OSP got involved.

Troopers used stop sticks to catch the truck, but the vehicle continued to drive on its rims for several miles.

The chase moved through Springboro, where schools were beginning dismissal. Springboro Schools alerted families some buses may have been delayed, due to the chase passing through the city.

As the pursuit moved into Montgomery County, more agencies got involved. The chase ended on the Linden Avenue Bridge in Miamisburg.

Police say as the suspect was driving over the bridge, he drove into the side of a southbound train. The impact pushed the truck off of the roadway.

One local witness told 2 NEWS what he saw the moment the car crashed into the train.

“When the train started coming, he takes off, T-bones the train big time,” said Michael Howard, who was driving from Germantown to Miamisburg. “Bunch of smoke started rolling up and everything and the officers went ahead and converged on him.”

The suspect remained inside the vehicle after the crash, causing an hours-long standoff due to law enforcement not being sure if he was armed or not. Kettering Regional SWAT was called to the scene for negotiations.

CareFlight also landed at the scene and around 6:30 p.m., the 32-year-old suspect was taken into custody and transported to Miami Valley Hospital for minor injuries, according to officials on scene.

Felony charges for failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer and receiving stolen property are pending.

Miamisburg City Schools Superintendent Laura Blessing confirmed to 2 NEWS that Miamisburg elementary and middle schools were on lockdown for several hours. Buses were finally able to take students home around 5 p.m.

Residents were asked to avoid the area of W. Linden Avenue near N. Riverview Avenue for the majority of the afternoon and evening while police were on scene.

OSP says the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, Kettering Police Department, Miamisburg Police Department and numerous law enforcement agencies from Warren, Butler and Montgomery counties were involved and assisted during the course of this incident.

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