Springfield officer remains on paid leave after indirectly hitting teen running from pursuit, crash

SPRINGFIELD — Springfield police are continuing an internal review into the actions of a police officer who indirectly hit a teen who was trying to run away from a high-speed pursuit and crash.

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Officer Christopher Armstrong, identified by the Ohio State Highway Patrol as the Springfield officer driving the cruiser, has been on paid administrative leave since the May 22 incident, according to a city spokesperson.

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After a series of crimes involving four suspects, Armstrong was involved in a chase with three teens in a stolen minivan. After the minivan crashed on Fairfield Pike in Mad River Twp., Armstrong crashed into a fence as one of the suspects climbed it. The crash sent the teen, previously identified by family members as Tyron Moore, 16, of Urbana, onto the hood of the cruiser.

Moore was able to get up and run from the scene until he was later captured and arrested.

Following the incident, Springfield police launched an internal review of all aspects of the chase, a city spokesperson said in an emailed response to questions from News Center 7.

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“We’re reviewing every part of the pursuit to ensure things were done properly and according to our policies and procedures,” the spokesperson said.

When asked if Armstrong followed Springfield policy, the spokesperson provided this response:

“It’s normal for a cruiser to follow fleeing suspects when it’s possible. In this case, when the teens jumped over a wooden farm fence, one of our officers following slowly immediately applied the brakes but skidded some 18 feet on the damp grass and knocked down part of the fence. (Moore), who was on top of that fence, falls onto the grass and then immediately gets up and runs away at full speed. Later in the pursuit, you can see Officer Armstrong maneuver his cruiser away from the running teen to avoid injuring him.”

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Springfield police released cruiser cam footage Tuesday following a News Center 7 public records request. In the video, Armstrong is heard yelling at Moore saying “You better get down f*****. I’m going to shoot you boy.”

In response to a News Center 7 question about the language used and if any discipline or questions came from it, the city spokesperson said strong language and commands can end situations without injuries.

“It’s easy to evaluate things in hindsight, but these officers were pursuing teenage suspects who had just committed several armed carjackings. When an officer sees a suspect reaching near his waist, our training warns the officer to be ready to have a gun pulled on him. In such a dangerous, high stress situation, where an officer is worried about being shot, strong language and firm commands to stop can sometimes end a pursuit with no one getting hurt. You can see on the video that the officer immediately holsters his weapon once this 16-year-old suspect moves his hands away from his waist. Officer Armstrong was trying to get this teenage boy, whom he thought might have a gun, to stop running and put an end to a dangerous situation. We’re glad this pursuit ended without any serious injuries to our officers or the teens involved in the carjacking.”

>>RELATED: Juvenile injured by Springfield police cruiser in Clark County pursuit; State troopers investigating

The Ohio State Highway Patrol has been investigating both crashes in the incident; the first involving the stolen minivan, and the second involving Armstrong’s cruiser, the fence, and Moore. A spokesperson for the highway patrol told News Center 7 the final crash investigations are still pending and once complete will be sent to prosecutors for review of possible charges.

Previously, an Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation spokesperson said the department was not involved in the investigation.

We’ll continue to update this story as we learn more.

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Springfield cruiser crash The Ohio State Highway Patrol released photos Thursday of the crash involving a Springfield police cruiser and a teen running from a previous crash. State troopers said the teen had "serious," visible injuries from the first crash and only had "possible" injuries from the second crash involving the cruiser. (Contributed Photo/Ohio State Highway Patrol)

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