MIDDLETOWN, Ohio — One man is in custody after police said he stole a cruiser while running from the scene of a stabbing in Middletown.
Middletown police officers were called to the 4400 block of Bonita Drive at about 3:50 a.m. Thursday to respond to a stabbing. When they arrived, police said they found a person with more than 30 stab wounds. That person was taken to Atrium Medical Center and later to Miami Valley Hospital with what officials called critical injuries.
According to the release, the suspect identified by Middletown police as 24-year-old Jonathan Crabtree ran from the scene. Police attempted to track him with a K9 when he was able to get into a locked police vehicle through the window, stealing the cruiser.
Watch: What we know about the incident
Police said after an area-wide alert Crabtree and the stolen vehicle were located in Independence, Ky., where he was taken into custody by the Independence Police Department.
Independence police said a resident spotted the vehicle on Rusconi Drive and reported it to the Kenton County Communications Center.
Officers from the Kenton County Police Department and Independence Police Department surrounded the vehicle with Crabtree still inside, and he was arrested without incident.
Watch: Dash camera video of a man stealing a Middletown police cruiser
Police took Crabtree to the Kenton County Detention Center and charged him with receiving stolen property over $10,000; additional charges in Middletown are still pending.
Middletown police are asking anyone with information on the case to contact Detective Connor Kirby at 513-425-7736.
