ROSS – A high-speed chase ended in a crash after Ross County Deputies, Pickaway County, and Fayette County became involved in a mutual county chase.
On 4/27/23 a Deputy attempted to to stop a recklessly operated vehicle traveling on Egypt Pike near Sandusky Blvd. The driver of the vehicle failed to comply with emergency lights and sirens and did not stop the vehicle.
According to the report the Deputy was on patrol on Pleasant Valley Rd. and approaching the intersection of Egypt Pike and Sandusky Blvd. when he observed a gray Chevrolet Malibu turn onto Egypt Pike and straddle the double yellow lines. The Malibu continued north on Egypt Pike and was driving in the middle of the two-lane road, when the traffic stop was initiated the suspect did not stop but sped off. The report covers some of the events that unfolded.
While I was pursuing the Malibu it maintained its unsafe speeds and was driving almost exclusively in the middle of the road or in the wrong lane. Near Ashbury Rd. in Pickaway County the driver of the Malibu turned off its headlights. Just north of Ashbury Rd, the Malibu slid off the roadway while attempting to negotiate a sharp right hand turn. The vehicle appeared to be stuck and the engine stopped. I exited my vehicle and began giving the driver commands at gunpoint to put his hands out the drivers window. The
driver looked at me but did not comply and instead kept trying to get the Malibu started. I tried opening the doors. The driver reached over and manually locked the doors. I noticed a female screaming in the backseat of the Malibu. I tried breaking the drivers door window and continued to plea with the driver to stop what he was doing and surrender. The driver did not comply with my orders and once the Malibu started, he sped off. This time with his headlights on.
The Malibu sped through every intersection and four way stop it encountered without slowing down. As we entered the Village of New Holland; where the posted speed limit is 25 mph, the Malibu was travailing well over that and went through a red light in the middle of the village without slowing down. The Malibu’s hazard lights eventually came after we exited New Holland, but it maintained its high rate of speed and kept being operated in the middle of the two lane road. I was still the only law enforcement officer engaged in the pursuit.
The roughly 20-minute-long pursuit entered Fayette County and at the intersection of Bloomingberg New Holland Rd, and ended shortly after when it went into an agricultural field went airborne and crashed. The suspect attempted to flee by crawling out of the vehicle but was arrested quickly.
A passenger in the car who was frantic, told deputies that she asked for him to stop but he told her that he was going to, “drive till the wheels fell off” to get away from the police. She told deputies she wanted him charged for forcing her to stay in the Malibu.
Ivan Twitty, 46 was arrested and charged with Failure to comply, obstruction of official business, and unlawful restraint,. Twitty did not have a valid driver’s license and had a felony warrant through Franklin County and one also through Delaware County. A urine test was taken due to being possibly under the influence those charges are pending.
