Columbus police seek two cars after chases, exchange of gunfire

Columbus police were searching for suspects in a series of car chases involving gunfire early Friday along Buena Vista Road.

Police Maj. J.D. Hawk said officers in two units leaving a call on Buena Vista Road near Overlook Drive saw two cars going east toward downtown run red lights at Brown Avenue. The officers turned around to make traffic stops, and one vehicle pulled over at Overlook Drive while the other sped away.

It was around 3:30 a.m., he said.

One police unit stayed with the car that stopped while the other chased the one that fled, but lost track of the vehicle, Hawk said. That officer returned to the traffic stop.

Meanwhile other units hearing a description of the fleeing vehicle spotted one matching it on Lawyers Lane, and a second chase ensued, with those in the car firing back at their pursuers. Again police lost track of the car.

Police back at the traffic stop on Buena Vista Road were preparing to write traffic citations when the second vehicle returned, firing at the officers as it passed. An officer shot back, and both units went after the car with the shooter in it.

Related: When do police continue a high-speed chase?

The assailants escaped again, and when police returned to Buena Vista Road at Overlook Drive, the other car was gone, Hawk said.

Investigators now are on the lookout for both cars, which Hawk declined to describe as the search continues.

He said no officers were wounded, and the officer who returned fire temporarily will be on administrative leave, which is standard procedure when police discharge their weapons.

This story was originally published November 24, 2017 at 9:52 AM with the headline "Columbus police seek two cars after chases, exchange of gunfire."