Bucyrus troopers arrested a man who poured gasoline on himself and tried to light it after a high-speed chase.
Tyler Rowalt, 27, of Upper Sandusky, took his wife’s vehicle at 1:12 a.m. April 11 in order to leave a domestic dispute, according to a news release provided by Lt. Ty Skaggs, commander of the Bucyrus post of the Ohio Highway Patrol.
“Rowalt was reported to be impaired, emotionally distraught and in possession of a firearm while driving at speeds of 120 miles per hour,” Skaggs noted.
Bucyrus troopers found Rowalt’s vehicle about 1:15 a.m. near Johnston and Summit streets in Upper Sandusky. When they tried to pull him over, the man sped up.
Troopers noted that Rowalt “nearly struck a pursuing officer,” and on U.S. 23 “drove in opposing lanes of traffic multiple times.”
The chase ended about 20 miles later when Rowalt crashed into a guardrail on Ohio 15 near mile post 18 in Hancock County.
Troopers ordered the man out of the automobile, but he instead “poured gasoline on himself while sitting in the vehicle and attempted to ignite it.”
Troopers took the man into custody before the situation could escalate any further.
Hancock County EMS treated Rowalt on the scene for minor injuries, then took him to Wyandot Memorial Hospital for medical clearance before officers booked him into the Wyandot County Jail.
Ohio 15 was closed for about an hour and a half.
No firearms were discovered in the vehicle.
The Wyandot County Sheriff’s Office and the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office both assisted.
ztuggle@gannett.com
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This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Troopers arrest man who poured gas on himself after high-speed chase
Reporting by Zach Tuggle, Mansfield News Journal / Mansfield News Journal
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