BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — One man shot. Four to five bullets fired in the heart of Downtown Buffalo. 12 to 15 people fighting. Three officers and multiple other people hit by a car. Three police cars damaged. An over nine-mile chase. One man under arrest, facing multiple charges.
All of those things happened overnight Sunday, part of a wild series of events that started in Buffalo's entertainment district and ended near the Buffalo Airport.
Police said the events consist of a shooting, a fight, a hit & run car crash and a police pursuit. They also said the events seem to be related.
The shooting happened just before 2:30 a.m. Sunday on Franklin Street. Police say a man from Tonawanda, 28, was shot and seriously injured. This happened as a large fight broke out nearby.
While officers were attempting to break up the fight, a vehicle struck three officers. They suffered minor injuries; the most serious one involved a thumb, police said.
The vehicle then took off. A description was relayed over police radio. Officers spotted it on the Kensington Expressway and chased it into Cheektowaga. The chase ultimately ended near the Buffalo Niagara International Airport in the area of the Kensington Expressway and Cayuga Road.
Three vehicles were damaged during the pursuit but no officers were hurt.
Officers arrested the man responsible after the chase ended, 29-year-old Dmitri Ross of Cheektowaga. He is being charged with fleeing a police officer, felony reckless endangerment and reckless driving.
They did say they do not believe the driver was the shooter. Police plan to go after the driver's insurance to get money to repair the police vehicles.
