ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) — A police chase sparked by a report of gunfire ended with the suspect’s car plowing into another vehicle and killing its driver early Friday in downtown Rochester, interim Police Chief David Smith said.
The chase began around 1:50 a.m., after police got an alert from a gunfire-detection system on Dewey Avenue and a nearby officer heard what sounded like shots and saw a Jeep whiz by without headlights, Smith told reporters at a news conference.
Surveillance cameras spotted the car as it headed downtown, while the gunfire-detection system picked up more shots near where it was traveling. The chief said officers tried unsuccessfully to stop the car, and about three minutes into the chase, the Jeep ran a red light and hit a car that was crossing the intersection.
That car’s driver was killed, while the suspect was hospitalized in stable condition with serious but non-life-threatening injuries, Smith said.
“It was a very emotionally disturbing scene,” he said.
Police didn’t immediately release the identities of anyone involved, though Smith said the suspect was a parolee whose ankle monitor would help police calculate the Jeep’s speed.
Nor has video from surveillance cameras or officers’ body-worn cameras been released yet. Smith said the footage would be forthcoming “as soon as possible.”
Under Rochester Police Department policy, officers considering a car chase have to consider factors including the offense for which the driver is wanted, the speed, traffic, the weather and the danger posed by the fleeing vehicle.
“At this time, all indications are that there are no violations of our policy,” Smith said.