Wild police chase starts in Oldham County with dad fighting off suspect to protect his kids
By Curadhan Powell, wlky.com
OLDHAM COUNTY, Ky. — An Indiana man was arrested over the weekend after attempting to steal a car with children inside, then leading police on a wild, multi-county chase in Kentucky.
Oldham County Police were dispatched to a report of a vehicle collision around 12:18 p.m. on Oct. 2, near the intersection of KY-146 and the I-71 off-ramp between Crestwood and La Grange.
There, officers found that Jarmaine Thornton, 36, of Bedford, Indiana, had struck a car and attempted to carjack it before fleeing on foot. Read more here
Use StarChase GPS Solutions for Public Safety to Safely Manage Cross-jurisdictional Pursuits
High-speed pursuits are a deadly problem for U.S. police departments. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, an average of 355 people were killed in high-speed pursuits every year between 1996 and 2015. That’s almost one person per day. In addition, there are upwards of 50,000 injuries per year from pursuit related events. The resulting financial strain is in the billions.
With statistics like these, it is no wonder that police departments are seeking safer alternatives to high-speed pursuits. At the same time, they still need to apprehend the vehicular perpetrators who are putting themselves, officers and the public at risk by escaping police at excessive speeds.
This conundrum only gets tougher when high-speed pursuits cross jurisdictional lines. Even with lots of warning, it is difficult for one police department to have cars in place ready to take over a pursuit from a neighboring jurisdiction. When they do succeed in taking over, the dangers inherent in any high-speed pursuit remain.
