JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Two arrests have been made after a pursuit on Jacksonville's Westside led to multiple crashes involving police cruisers.
The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office says that two marked patrol cars crashed into each other during a pursuit, which consequently led to one of the police vehicles hitting a citizen's vehicle head-on.
Details about the incident were released by police over 24 hours after it happened, despite multiple inquiries by members of the media.
Around 2 p.m., JSO says detectives with the gang unit were patrolling in the Paxon area when they observed a white Ford F-150 occupied by two men wearing full face masks.
JSO says this, in conjunction with the driving patterns of the truck, drew the attention of the detectives who ran the tag and discovered the truck was reported stolen.
Police say efforts were made to stop the truck and prevent it from leaving the area however those efforts were unsuccessful and a pursuit ensued.
The pursuit traveled South on Interstate 95 to Interstate 10 and South on Roosevelt Boulevard, police say.
In the course of the pursuit, police say two JSO marked patrol vehicles struck each other, causing them to cross the median.
Police say one of the marked units crashed into a fence. The second struck a black SUV, police say.
The SUV was being driven by a citizen and was hit head-on.
JSO says that citizen was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Neither officer was injured.
The suspect continued south on Roosevelt Boulevard before crashing into a pole, police say.
One of the two occupants of the suspect vehicle was subsequently transported to a local hospital for life-threatening injuries.
A firearm was recovered from the truck and both occupants have been arrested, police say. Their identities have not been released.
Morgan Singletary lives nearby and spoke with First Coast News about the incident.
"I was in my backyard just hanging out and all of a sudden I hear 'pow, pow, pow'... it sounded like gunshots," said Singletary. "I was scared for a second there. As soon as I heard it, I ran outside."
He explains that he saw several police cars flying past, including a possible suspect vehicle.
"I saw a black car, it was an SUV," said Singletary. "I'm not sure. I believe it was civilian. But I know the cops definitely were in the accident."
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