NIAGARA COUNTY, N.Y. (WKBW) — The Niagara County Sheriff’s Office says three people are facing charges and a fourth is on the loose after a reported theft turned into a police chase in Niagara County.
Deputies say the suspects were reported trying to steal from the Family Dollar on Lockport Olcott Road in Newfane around 1:00 in the afternoon Tuesday. The store told deputies the four men took off in a white Dodge Caravan.
The minivan was spotted by deputies nearby on Day Road, where they attempted to pull it over. The van kept driving, and sped off to the Town of Lockport and eventually into the City of Lockport.
Deputies say it then crashed into another vehicle at the intersection of Chapel and Chestnut streets. No one in the other car was hurt.
The driver of the minivan got out and ran away and deputies were not able to catch him. They arrested the other three people in the car.
Deputies charged 33-year-old Shawn Pittler with possession of stolen property; they say he had a record and was recently released from the Niagara County Jail in September, then arrested again by Lockport Police in November. The New York State Parole Board issued a detainer warrant for him as well as a hold on his parole.
The other two people in the car — 28-year-old Jessica Burling and 37-year-old Jacquelyn Flaig — were taken to the hospital to be treated for injuries they suffered in the crash. The sheriff’s office says it will charge them at a later date.
The sheriff’s office says New York State Police, Lockport Police and Department of Environmental Conservation Police all assisted in their response to the incident.
