Newark police said a June 6 drive-by shooting led to a chase along State Route 79 in Licking County and a standoff near the highway.
Around 1:10 p.m. on June 6, police saw a man lean out of a moving vehicle around Mt. Vernon Road and State Route 16 and open fire on another moving vehicle, firing multiple shots, according to a release from Newark police posted on social media on June 7.
The victim suffered a non-life-threatening gunshot and was transported to Licking Memorial Hospital.
Officers immediately began pursuing the suspect, and the chase led through the cities of Newark and Heath before continuing southbound on SR 79 toward Hebron.
The suspects eventually left the roadway and crashed into a wooded area near SR 79 and Enterprise Drive. Following the crash, police arrested one while attempting to flee into the woods. A second suspect was taken into custody nearby.
Police initially believed based on information from the scene that two additional suspects may have fled the scene into surrounding areas, and law enforcement from multiple agencies established a perimeter around the wooded area.
It was later determined that there were only two suspects and information about two additional suspects was false. Police located a firearm that is suspected to have been used in the incident.
The suspects were not named by Newark police and do not appear to have been arraigned in court as of 10 a.m. on June 7. Police say the investigation is ongoing.
Cole Behrens covers K-12 education and school districts in central Ohio. Have a tip? Contact Cole at cbehrens@dispatch.com or connect with him on X at @Colebehr_report
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Drive-by shooting in Newark led to chase through Licking County, police say
Reporting by Cole Behrens, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Cole Behrens, Columbus Dispatch | USA TODAY Network
