Two Arrested After Simultaneous Stolen Car Chases Near Sandusky

PERKINS TWP., Ohio (WTVG) – Body camera footage shows the arrest of a woman fleeing from Perkins Township. Police are in the parking lot of the Sandusky Mall. She was one of two people who led officers on a chase around 4:30 a.m. on Thursday, September 12, 2024.

It all started when Perkins Township police received a call that someone was breaking into cars at Haleen Kia in Sandusky. When they arrived, officers said two cars sped away.

One of the cars was a Kia that was traveling south on Highway 250. Dash cam video shows the driver eventually jumping out and running toward Planet Fitness as the stolen car crashes into a parked vehicle.

Moments later, a police officer pulled Laniya Askew over. As it turns out, police said the Kia Askew was driving had been reported stolen from Summit Place Kia in Clinton Twp., MI, outside of Detroit. That theft reportedly happened around 1 a.m., several hours before police said Askew and a man showed up at the Kia dealership in Sandusky.

That’s where the two men are accused of stealing a Jeep Cherokee from the lot. Perkins Township police also pursued that Jeep, which they say got loose and crashed into a pole.

After that, a detective said the driver ran into the Ohio Veterans Home, put on a flannel shirt and tried to hide. He was eventually arrested.

Lajuan Jefferson is charged with breaking and entering, burglary and fleeing, among other charges. Police said Jefferson and Askew, who faces similar charges, removed the steering columns and used tools to manually start the engines of the stolen vehicles.

Jefferson and Askew are both scheduled to appear in Erie County Court on the morning of Friday, September 13, 2024.

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