Stolen SUV Rams Police Cruisers at Kettering Gas Station
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Boxed-In Stolen SUV Rams Cruisers as Officers Close In at Gas Pumps
A stolen Chevrolet Suburban trapped between police vehicles at a Kettering, Ohio gas station became the center of a violent escape attempt, with the driver slamming into cruisers while officers shouted commands and scrambled to avoid being hit. Body camera footage released by the Kettering Police Department captures the chaotic seconds when a routine stakeout turned into a full-blown resistance, ending only after officers broke out a window, deployed a Taser, and pulled the driver from the seat.
- Kettering officers responded around 11:15 a.m. on August 19 to a report of a theft suspect at a BP station on South Smithville Road near Forrer Boulevard.
- The vehicle, a stolen Chevy Suburban, was already familiar to officers after it had fled from them the previous day.
- Officers boxed the SUV in at the gas pumps before the driver entered and attempted to flee, ramming police vehicles in the process.
- The driver, later identified as Angelo Locurto, 22, refused to comply with demands, prompting officers to break the driver's side window and deploy a Taser.
- A stolen gun was found on the driver's seat, along with suspected narcotics that were sent to a laboratory for inspection.
A Trap Set at the Pumps
The sequence began with a familiar sight for Kettering patrol officers. According to the Kettering Police Department, authorities had been alerted to an alleged theft suspect driving a stolen Chevy Suburban in the area of Smithville Road near Forrer Boulevard on the morning of August 19. By the time officers located the vehicle, it was parked at a gas pump at the BP station on South Smithville Road.
What made the moment critical was the department's prior history with the vehicle. Officers recognized the Suburban from the day before, when it had fled from them during an encounter. That prior flight shaped the tactical decision to surround the vehicle before making contact, positioning patrol cars on multiple sides to prevent another escape.
The footage shows the white canopy of the gas station and the green pump island as the stolen SUV sits between marked cruisers. Officers had staged themselves around the vehicle, waiting for the right moment to move in. The scene carries the ordinary clutter of a midday fuel stop, with an Amazon delivery van visible under the canopy and traffic passing in the background.
The Engine Roars and the Ramming Begins
What followed was captured in the audio as much as the video. The driver, later identified as Locurto, heard police sirens and entered the stolen vehicle, attempting to flee. Rather than surrender, he put the SUV into motion and began ramming the police vehicles surrounding him.
Officers standing by their vehicles were nearly hit during the attempt, and other officers remained inside their cruisers while the stolen SUV struck them. The recorded audio captures the urgency of the moment, with an officer repeatedly shouting, "Put it in park! Put it in park! Driver! Put it in park! Do it now! Driver! Don't move! Don't move!" The commands overlap with the sounds of the engine and the impact of metal against metal.
The body camera view shifts between the hood of a patrol car and the pavement as officers reposition. In one frame, an officer is seen moving around the front of a cruiser with its emergency lights flashing, while the stolen SUV remains pinned between police vehicles under the gas station canopy.
Window Shatters and the Standoff Ends
Locurto continued trying to leave even as officers approached the vehicle and attempted to arrest him, according to the police account. He refused to comply with their demands. The response was swift: officers broke the driver's side window, deployed a Taser, and removed him from the vehicle to make the arrest.
The recorded audio reflects the escalation, with voices calling out, "He's ramming us," followed by a warning about a weapon. "Gun! We got a gun! We got a gun! We got a gun!" The statement aligns with the police account that a gun was on the driver's seat during the arrest, which was later determined to be stolen.
Officers also found suspected narcotics in the car, though the evidence was sent to a laboratory for inspection. The sequence from the ramming to the arrest unfolded within minutes, captured across multiple body camera angles that show the tight confines of the driver's seat and the shattered window.
| Incident Parameter | Observation at the Scene |
|---|---|
| Location | BP gas station on South Smithville Road near Forrer Boulevard, Kettering, Ohio |
| Reported Time | Approximately 11:15 a.m. on August 19 |
| Vehicle | Stolen Chevrolet Suburban known to officers from a prior pursuit the day before |
| Driver Actions | Entered the vehicle upon hearing sirens and rammed police cruisers attempting to flee |
| Officer Response | Broke the driver's side window, deployed a Taser, and removed the driver |
| Evidence Recovered | Stolen firearm on the driver's seat; suspected narcotics sent to a laboratory |
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Charges, Plea, and a Chief's Disappointment
Locurto faced a list of charges following the incident, including grand theft of a motor vehicle, two counts of obstructing official business, two counts of failure to comply, three counts of assault on a police officer, having weapons under disability, improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle, and receiving stolen property.
According to reporting, Locurto pleaded guilty on October 6 to grand theft, two counts of failure to comply, assault on a police officer, and two counts of receiving stolen property. He was sentenced to probation, a decision that prompted Kettering police to take to social media to share camera footage of the arrest along with a statement from Chief Christopher Protsman expressing disappointment in the sentence.
The public release of the footage turned a brief, violent encounter at a gas station into a broader conversation about the legal outcome. The department's decision to share the video alongside the chief's statement reflects a deliberate effort to show the public what officers faced that morning.
Core Questions and Unresolved Issues
- What exactly did the lab determine about the suspected narcotics found in the vehicle, and did the results affect the charges?
- How did the department's prior encounter with the same Suburban on the previous day shape the decision to box it in at the pumps?
- What specific factors did the sentencing court weigh in choosing probation over a custodial term?
A Split-Second Decision at the Pump
The footage captures a common but dangerous reality for patrol officers: an encounter that begins with a parked vehicle can escalate into a lethal threat in seconds. The audio of officers shouting "Put it in park!" while metal grinds against metal underscores how quickly a routine stop can turn.
The department's account notes that officers standing by their vehicles were nearly hit, and others stayed inside their cruisers while the stolen SUV struck them. That detail, visible in the shifting camera angles, illustrates the tight geometry of a gas station canopy where there is little room to retreat.
The release of the footage by Kettering police, paired with Chief Protsman's statement, places the incident in a wider debate about how such cases move through the courts. For the officers involved, the recording preserves the moment they broke the window, deployed the Taser, and pulled the driver out, ending a standoff that could have turned far worse.
For the public, the video offers a raw view of what a stolen vehicle stop can become when a driver decides to ram his way out rather than comply. The gas station on South Smithville Road returned to normal that afternoon, but the footage remains a record of the split-second decisions made under the canopy.
What should the public take away from the release of body camera footage in cases like this?
