The Morgantown Police Department arrested a man for almost hitting young children with his vehicle, as they were getting off a school bus, and leading police on a low speed chase through Morgantown.
Stephen Thomas Cox, 26, of Morgantown, is charged with fleeing in a vehicle with reckless disregard for the safety of others, improper passing, failure to stop for a school bus, prohibited use of a cell phone, reckless driving and driving on a suspended license.
Cox also had a warrant for his arrest for burglary, according to the MPD.
A Subaru Legacy failed to stop at a stop sign at the intersection of North High Street and Prospect Street and almost struck an MPD cruiser, according to a criminal complaint.
The officer stopped the Subaru and made contact with the driver, the complaint said. The driver refused to provide any information except for a temporary registration and backup was called.
The MPD said the driver became argumentative and took off while the officer was holding onto the window and ordering him to stop.
The Subaru went down North Spruce Street going the wrong direction and turned east onto Willey Street, the complaint said. Another officer, on his way to assist with the traffic stop, saw the Subaru turn and turned on his cruiser’s lights and sirens to stop it.
The Subaru went left of center around traffic and the driver swerved the vehicle to avoid hitting the a school bus dropping children off at the intersection of Price and Willey streets, according to the complaint. Multiple kids had to jump out of the vehicle’s path.
The chase continued with the vehicle attempting to turn left onto Prospect but being blocked by a vehicle and instead reversing and going north on Willey Street, according to the complaint. The Subaru turned right onto Monongalia Avenue and left onto James Street, while running three stops signs.
The Subaru continued onto Richwood Avenue toward Sabraton and passed other vehicles in the left-hand lane, the complaint said. The driver was ordered to stop through an MPD cruiser’s public address system but did not.
Shortly after the Subaru got on Earl L. Core Road by driving over a grassy area from Sabraton Avenue, officers tried to box it in but it swerved across traffic and into Sabraton Plaza’s parking lot. According to the complaint, the Subaru circled around the businesses, including Wendy’s drive-thru and got back onto Earl L. Core Road heading west.
Officers saw the driver holding a phone out the window making it appear as if he was recording the chase, the complaint said.
“The driver did this through the time officers were attempting to stop the vehicle,” the complaint said.
The chase went onto Powell Avenue, to Brockway Avenue, then Walnut Street, while the Subaru continued to swerve around traffic, according to the complaint. When it turned onto Spruce Street, two police cruisers were almost struck.
At that point, a Monongalia County Sheriff’s deputy drove up to the driver’s side of the Subaru to try to box it in but it came to an abrupt stop at the intersection of Spruce Street and Forest Avenue and turned onto Forest Avenue.
Multiple people walking on Forest Avenue had to “run off the roadway to avoid the vehicle,” according to the complaint.
The Subaru went up Dallas Street and Locust Avenue but stopped when a sheriff’s deputy driving on Richwood Avenue was able to get “head on” with it.
Officers boxed the Subaru in and ordered the driver to get out, the complaint said. However, the driver did not and had to be forced out.
The driver was identified as Cox and it was discovered he had a warrant for his arrest.
While being processed at the MPD office, Cox became “irate” and started kicking the door of the holding cell, the complaint said.
Cox is being held in North Central Regional Jail in lieu of $10,000 bond.
