The driver of a tractor-trailer is dead after Livingston County authorities say he led them on a wild chase Wednesday night, firing at officers and trying to ram police vehicles along the way.
It started around 8:30 p.m. in Le Roy, when police there tried to pull the semi over for speeding. Livingston County Sheriff Thomas Dougherty said that’s when the truck driver took off on a chase that involved a number of police cars from multiple agencies.
The chase went down roads including 390 in Livingston County; authorities also used spike strips to try and stop the truck but it kept going. Dougherty told reporters that one of the main concerns was the possibility the truck might also strike civilian vehicles, saying that the truck driver had "no regard for human life."
Dougherty said multiple patrol cars were struck by the truck, and the truck driver also fired at police multiple times, hitting some of the patrol cars. The sheriff said there were no injuries to police or civilians.
The truck did not reach high speeds during the chase, but Dougherty said that it’s nearly impossible for patrol cars to stop a vehicle that large.
Eventually, the chase ended when, according to The Livingston County News, the tractor-trailer drove off Route 20A in Geneseo into a field.
The truck driver eventually was shot and killed, according to reports, but Dougherty did not immediately confirm whether the gunfire that killed him came from deputies, who were firing at the truck, or whether the truck driver’s death may have been self-inflicted.
There is no word yet on the driver’s identity or his motive.
Livingston County deputies said early Thursday morning that Route 20A between Volunteer Road and Lima Road in the Town of Geneseo will be closed for a police investigation until further notice for a police investigation.
