Man accused of stealing gas during pursuit
CAMBRIDGE - Authorities say a Canton man stopped to get gas in the middle of leading law enforcement officers on a vehicle chase early Friday morning down Interstate 77 from Canton to Guernsey County. He eventually crashed on U.S. 22, east of Salt Fork State Park.
Fabian Potter II, 30, was arrested after he crashed the vehicle he was driving, a black Ford Explorer, said Sgt. Vincent Shirey, with the public affairs office of the Ohio Highway Patrol. The vehicle was stolen.
The pursuit included Canton Police Department as well as state troopers, Shirey said. He was charged with fleeing, theft, failure to comply, receiving stolen property and driving under suspension. The theft charge stems from Potter neglecting to pay for gas at a station off I-77.
The pursuit started at about 5:15 a.m. Friday. Canton PD informed the OHP of the incident and that they were not going to continue the pursuit, Shirey said. Troopers picked up the pursuit at mile marker 83 on I-77, right after Potter stopped for gas.
"We were able to spot (the vehicle) on 77 south," he said.
At mile marker 49, troopers deployed spike strips, resulting in damage to the vehicle’s front tire, but Potter continued driving for two miles and exited the interstate onto U.S. 22, Shirey said.
Troopers made the decision, because of the vehicle’s disintegrating front tire and the increase in surrounding traffic to make contact with the vehicle, Shirey said, which means troopers bumped the vehicle with their own and Potter crashed, with the vehicle landing on its side.
Potter showed what looked like a handgun to officers and troopers called in negotiators, Shirey said. The weapon turned out to be an air soft gun and Potter surrendered without incident.
He was transported to Southeastern Ohio Medical Center for treatment and then incarcerated.
No other injuries were reported. The pursuit reached maximum speeds of 95 mph. The case remains under investigation.
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