SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- A Syracuse police officer was injured Monday when a stolen AAA flatbed truck crashed into her patrol car during a pursuit in downtown Syracuse, city police Sgt. Richard Helterline said.
The truck also hit two Syracuse fire trucks, according to a Syracuse Fire Department Facebook post. The department also reported a pedestrian was injured.
Witnesses reported other cars were also damaged by the truck during the pursuit.
The female officer was not badly injured, Helterline said.
Syracuse police and Onondaga County sheriff's deputies were involved in the pursuit, which ended near the Rescue Mission.
Witnesses said they heard several shots fired and saw a half-dozen patrol cars tailing a large AAA flatbed truck as it drove up Clinton Street, then turned left onto Dickerson Street. The truck ran a red light and circled around, before the chase eventually ended on Dickerson Street next to the Rescue Mission parking lot.
The AAA truck hit several vehicles during the pursuit, witnesses said.
An Onondaga County sheriff's car was damaged on North Salina Street, near the intersection of Butternut Street.
A 2000 white Ford Taurus in the Rescue Mission parking lot was among the damaged vehicles. Its driver's side door was no longer attached.
The owner of the Ford Taurus, Roy Bonner Jr., said police told him the AAA flatbed truck rammed into his car, causing it to spin around and totaled it. The flatbed truck also struck two other vehicles in the parking lot, Bonner said after talking to police.
"Oh my God, oh my God," Bonner said while looking at a photo of his car.
As police continued to investigate, there appeared to be five bullet holes in the front windshield of the AAA truck.
Syracuse police referred all questions to the Onondaga County Sheriff's Office, which is handling the case. Helterline said the sheriff's office is leading the investigation because deputies were the first to have contact with the incident.
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