A suspected Chicago killer’s attempted escape across state lines ended in gunfire, flames, and a chaotic scene on a major Ohio interstate after troopers say he refused to stop and instead took police on a high-speed chase down I-75.
According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol details reported by multiple outlets, troopers spotted a Chrysler Pacifica traveling southbound on Interstate 75 in Hancock County at about 1:35 p.m. on Sunday, September 3, 2023. Investigators believed the vehicle was being driven by a murder suspect tied to a fatal shooting in Chicago. Troopers initiated a traffic stop, but the driver didn’t pull over, triggering an immediate pursuit.
Authorities say the suspect vehicle continued southbound at a high rate of speed as officers attempted to end the chase using stop sticks. Even after multiple deployments, the vehicle kept moving. With the risk to other drivers growing by the second, troopers eventually made “intentional contact” with the Pacifica near I-75 and U.S. Route 33, a maneuver meant to force the fleeing vehicle to stop.
That intervention brought the chase to a violent stop. The Pacifica came to rest in the median south of U.S. Route 33 in Pusheta Township, Auglaize County — and then, officials said, it caught fire.
What happened next pushed the scene from a pursuit into an officer-involved shooting.
Police say the driver exited the burning vehicle holding a handgun and began walking in the southbound lanes of I-75. Within moments, an officer-involved shooting occurred. The suspect was identified as Danny E. Berry, 45, of Chicago. He was transported to a hospital with serious injuries. Authorities emphasized that no officers were injured during the incident.
Investigators have been careful about what they release, including details about the Chicago homicide Berry was wanted for. FOX 32 reported that police did not provide specifics about that underlying case.
In Ohio, the aftermath set off a familiar process whenever gunfire is exchanged. The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation was requested to investigate the officer-involved shooting, while the broader incident remained under review.
The pursuit also highlighted how many agencies can be pulled into a single interstate emergency. Reporting noted assistance from multiple sheriff’s offices, local police departments, fire and EMS, and transportation officials — the kind of response that’s often necessary when a chase crosses county lines and ends on a busy highway.
For drivers who witnessed the scene, it likely looked like a movie: a fleeing minivan, a forced stop, fire in the median, and an armed suspect stepping into live traffic. But for troopers, it was the nightmare scenario every pursuit tries to prevent — a dangerous suspect, a public roadway, and seconds to decide how to stop it before someone innocent gets hurt.