Photo by Howard Owens.
A man who is apparently a Batavia resident is in custody facing possible criminal charges after allegedly leading State Police on a high-speed chase from Byron into the city and then barricading himself in an apartment that was not his own.
The name of the suspect has not yet been released. He is facing likely charges from both State Police and Batavia PD, and both agencies said more information will be released once criminal charges are sorted out.
It's not known yet why or at what location in Byron a trooper first tried to stop the subject, but he apparently refused to yield to emergency lights from a patrol vehicle.
Speeds eventually reached in excess of 90 mph.
As he headed into the city on Bank Street Road, Batavia PD deployed spike strips on Bank Street.
The strips were successful at deflating the Toyota's tires, said Sgt. Arick Perkins, Batavia PD, but the subject continued into the driveway of Northside Meadows, 335 Bank Street, where the car eventually ran into a small boulder along the driveway.
The subject ran from the vehicle and entered a second-floor apartment.
The apartment has been unoccupied for about four months while its tenant is incarcerated, according to witnesses.
The witnesses stated that they believe the man resides in a downstairs apartment, but he, along with other people, has been accessing the upstairs apartment for some time without permission.
"I could see that as being a possibility," said Perkins, who said it wasn't clear yet how the man gained access to the supposedly locked apartment this time or if he had ever been in the apartment before.
With troopers, deputies, and officers, including two K-9 units (one from Batavia PD and one from DEC) on scene, the man refused to exit the apartment.
Officers secured a key to the front door from a family member of the tenant and were able to unlock it, but the subject had barricaded the door.
Once inside, the man offered no other resistance, Perkins said, and was taken into custody without further incident.
K-9s could be heard barking when officers made their way into the apartment, but Perkins said the K-9s remained in the hallway since the suspect did not resist officers further.
A trooper said the driver of the vehicle was not the registered owner. It's unclear at this time whether the driver had permission of the owner to operate the vehicle.
Police officers searched the vehicle while the incident was ongoing and then inventoried its contents before impounding it after the incident was over.
Officers remained alert for the possibility that the subject had access to a weapon, Perkins said they did not believe during the incident that he was armed.
While being led by officers to a patrol car, the subject made statements indicating he didn't understand why he was being arrested, why he was being taken to a State Police car when he was in the City of Batavia, and why police had reporters there taking his picture.
Photos by Howard Owens.
