DAYTON, Ohio (WCMH) — The Dayton police chief has revealed the name of the suspect in a Monday chase that ended with a pickup truck crushing a police cruiser.
During a Wednesday news conference, Chief Kamran Afzal identified 54-year-old James Skirvin as the suspect in the chase. He was listed in stable condition at an area hospital and being treated for gunshot wounds and crash injuries.
Police said Skirvin had a residency in Florida and that the white pickup truck he drove had Florida license plates. Skirvin had no criminal record to date, but could face multiple felony charges as a result of the chase. The chief noted the suspect had both a rifle and a shotgun in his possession.
Police shared audio and dashcam footage during the conference, with officers stating that 911 callers specified Skirvin was suicidal.
The dashcam video below may contain content that is disturbing to viewers.
In total, 13 law enforcement officers opened fire during the incident. The Trotwood officer that was inside the crushed cruiser remained in stable condition, police said Wednesday morning.
A large police presence formed on U.S. 35 near the Liscum Drive intersection, around five miles west of Dayton’s downtown. It forced the roadway to close for several hours on Monday.
The Trotwood and Dayton police chiefs and the Montgomery County Sheriff said the incident started around 10:53 a.m. Dispatchers for Trotwood police first got a report of a pedestrian hit by a vehicle in the Voyager Village trailer park. When officers arrived, they found a woman who had been struck by a white pickup truck.
The suspect that struck her then quickly drove past officers and pointed a long gun at them from the truck’s window, according to Wilson. The officers began chasing the suspect, who went east on U.S. Route 35. and began swerving through oncoming traffic.
As the suspect turned right onto U.S. 35 southern curve, multiple agencies joined in the chase. Wilson said authorities used stop sticks on the pickup truck’s tires, but the driver kept going past them. The truck kept going on U.S. 35 toward the intersection with Abbey Avenue, where the suspect turned around and started heading back west toward Liscum Drive.
“He began heading back westbound on U.S. 35, at which time he began firing at officers from his moving vehicle,” Wilson said.
When the suspect made it to the Liscum Drive intersection, he went across all lanes of traffic and crashed head-on with a Trotwood officer and deputy’s cars. No deputy was inside the car, but the officer was in the police cruiser.
Police described the woman initially hit by the truck as a family member of the suspect, but noted they were not married.
Kafzar reiterated that the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation had taken over the case, and would be responsible for sharing additional details.