An armed juvenile lead Pittsfield Police on a several mile pursuit yesterday.
Pittsfield Police received a call at approximately 10:00 Monday morning from a complainant who advised of an underage male who was stating he had a weapon and was on his way to shoot someone.
According to a report by KHQA, officers were able to make contact with the juvenile by phone attempting to talk him into a peaceful surrender.
The juvenile identified a specific person as he stated to police he was going to find a person and shoot them, and that he was actively looking for them.
According to the report a Pike County Sheriff’s Deputy and Pittsfield Police Officer were able to locate the juvenile’s truck on the southeast side of Pittsfield. Officers attempted multiple times to initiate a traffic stop or safely disable the vehicle without causing injury to the juvenile driver.
The juvenile lead police on a several mile pursuit through Pittsfield into fields just outside of town before returning back through Pittsfield. Officials say the juvenile rammed several police vehicles during the pursuit.
Officers again attempted to disable the truck near the intersection of West Perry and Mississippi Street but again he was able to avoid being stopped until according to reports, he eventually hit a Pittsfield Police car head on.
According to reports, the juvenile was taken into custody after a brief confrontation without injury.
Two Pittsfield Officers received minor injuries due to the crash. According to the report, A 2017 Dodge Charger owned by the City of Pittsfield was totaled when the juvenile hit it head-on.
According to the KHQA report, a 2016 Ford Taurus owned by the City of Pittsfield was severely damaged when the Police Chief attempted to disable the vehicle.
Other law enforcement vehicles with other agencies were severely damaged or totaled during the incident.
The Illinois State Police are handling the investigation. The unnamed juvenile remains in custody.