COLUMBUS — Two teens were charged with multiple counts of felonious assault and attempted theft after a struggle with an officer led to a person being run over, an officer breaking their arm, and police shooting a driver in Columbus.
News Center 7 previously reported that two officers were stationed outside a bingo hall in the 3300 block of Refugee Road on a special duty assignment. At around 2 p.m., they heard a disturbance in the parking lot involving two teens inside a vehicle. They then initiated an investigation, according to WBNS.
Since the initial report, Columbus Police released more information about the events leading up to the assault and shooting as well as the charges the teens now face.
The two teens pulled into B33 Bingo’s parking lot and attempted to break into a vehicle parked near the entryway, Retired Sergeant Brian Kaylor, who works for the bingo hall and Columbus Police, said. An officer who came to relieve another saw the incident.
Police approached the teens as they returned to their vehicle and tried to remove them, Kaylor said. An officer removed one of the teens when the other teen attempted to drive away.
“The driver was able to get the door shut and in a very aggressive manner, slammed on the gas, driving backwards, turning the wheel. And, he actually ran over the officer and potentially the other individual in the car who he was with,” Kaylor said.
The teen driver hit the officer, breaking their arm, and ran over the other teen, a spokesperson for Columbus Police said.
This prompted another officer to fire his gun into the vehicle, injuring the driver. The shooting officer was identified as Officer Glenn Thivener, a 34-year veteran with the police department.
While injured, the driver drove out of the parking lot and onto Refugee Road where he struck another vehicle. The driver and passenger of that other vehicle were uninjured, the spokesperson said.
Both teens were taken into custody and transported to Nationwide Children’s Hospital where they remained in stable condition. The injured officer was also transported to a nearby hospital.
Both teens are charged with felonious assault on a police officer, felonious assault, attempted theft of a motor vehicle, and receiving stolen property. The driver is facing an additional charge of felonious assault.
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation took on the incident due to the second officer firing their weapon and injuring a suspect.