Four juveniles arrested in Sugarcreek break-in

Stolen vehicle, chase also part of incident Thursday morning.

Five people in total are in custody after a window was smashed in a Target, electronics were taken, and police chased a stolen car.

Police arrested five people, including four juveniles, following a break-in at the Sugarcreek Twp. Target location and a highspeed scamper in a stolen vehicle down U.S. 35 early Thursday morning.

The series of events started around midnight at Target, 4341 Feedwire Rd., where Sugarcreek Twp. police found a front window smashed in. Police Chief Michael Brown said that’s where the thieves entered and went after electronics before fleeing.

“There was a second vehicle involved. At this time, we have no additional information related to the second vehicle,” Brown said Friday afternoon.

Brown said there haven’t been any similar break-ins recently in the township.

Police later didn’t know the vehicle, a white Kia Rio, was possibly connected to the Target break-in when it was seen driving aggressively and fled a traffic stop at about midnight. That caused the Ohio State Highway Patrol to be on the lookout for the Rio, according to Lt. Matt Schmenk, commander of the OSHP Xenia Post.

The Rio was spotted again around 4 a.m. on U.S. 35 traveling at 101 mph, Schmenk said. The driver sped away from the attempted traffic stop, then exited the bypass toward Xenia.

Xenia officers responded to the alert and successfully deployed a tire-deflation device, stopping the vehicle in a parking lot at Allison Avenue and Main Street.

Five people exited the car and ran toward an apartment complex. Police set up a perimeter and captured all five in about 30 minutes. Four of the suspects are juveniles, Schmenk said.

Several electronic items were found in the Rio.

“At the end of the day we’re just glad that everything worked out where nobody got hurt and we got this vehicle stopped and everybody is in custody,” Schmenk said.

In addition to Xenia police, troopers were assisted by the Greene County Sheriff’s Office and Kettering police, which provided a K-9 unit.