Three and a half months after a stolen SUV crashed on an expressway in Buffalo, killing four teenagers, the driver of another stolen SUV on Monday struck and badly injured a Cheektowaga police officer.
The fleeing vehicle hit Officer Troy Blackchief as he was putting down stop sticks on Union Road, near the Kensington Expressway, to try to end a police pursuit of two stolen vehicles that began in Depew.
Blackchief, 45 years old and a 17-year veteran of the department, was in critical but stable condition late Monday afternoon following surgery at Erie County Medical Center, police reported.
This hit-and-run incident is the latest causing serious, or fatal, injuries tied to the growing problem of vehicle thefts in Buffalo Niagara.
“It is a concern of ours and this is exactly why. We saw the tragedy … on the expressway with a stolen vehicle,” Police Chief Brian Gould said at a Monday morning news conference at Cheektowaga Police Headquarters. “And now here we are reporting about another tragedy from yet another stolen vehicle.”
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Cheektowaga police were assisting the Depew Police Department, which was investigating reports of stolen vehicles in the village, Gould said.
Cheektowaga Police Chief Brian Gould at news conference on Monday, Feb. 6, 2023, after officer is struck by fleeing vehicle.
One vehicle had been taken in the area of Penora Street, which crosses through Depew and the Town of Lancaster.
Depew police spotted the stolen vehicles and, shortly before 4:30 a.m., began a pursuit near Walden Avenue and Dick Road.
The chase entered Cheektowaga on Dick Road north toward Genesee Street, Gould said, and then headed west on Genesee toward Union.
Blackchief was in this area and attempted to put down stop sticks on Union. The devices are set or thrown on the road to deflate the tires of vehicles that are fleeing from police, Gould said.
That’s when one of the vehicles ran into the officer before speeding off. Other officers provided first aid to Blackchief, who was not responsive as he was taken to ECMC, the police chief said.
Cheektowaga Police Chief Brian Gould discusses incident involving officer hit by fleeing vehicle on Monday, Feb. 6, 2023.
Blackchief, active on the SWAT team and in the patrol division, is a married father of three. His family was able to see him before he went into surgery, Gould said, and they remained at the hospital on Monday morning.
Gould said police have recovered the vehicle they believe struck Blackchief. The white 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee SUV was found abandoned at a gas station at Kensington Avenue and Century Road in the town.
Police had been seeking a second vehicle involved in the incident, a maroon 2019 Jeep Cherokee SUV with the license plate KKS 5300, also believed to have been stolen. Buffalo police helped find that vehicle later Monday on Nicholson Street in the city.
Crews have towed the second vehicle back to Cheektowaga police for processing by crime scene investigators, town police reported.
Police are searching for this vehicle in connection to the incident on Monday, Feb. 6, 2023.
The October fatal crash in Buffalo involved a Kia, one of thousands reported stolen nationally in recent months.
Thefts of Kias, especially, and Hyundais have become a dangerous trend on TikTok, YouTube and other social media platforms.
The teenage driver now charged in the deaths of four passengers, and the injury to a fifth, in the Oct. 24 crash on the Kensington was operating a Kia Sportage SUV reported stolen one night earlier.
“We’ve heard the complaints about the couple of different makes of vehicles that are frequently being stolen,” Gould said. “It doesn’t appear that that’s involved in this at this point. But we have been struggling with stolen vehicles. And we are doing our best to get public information out to remind people to keep their vehicles locked.”
A Cheektowaga police officer was struck by a fleeing stolen vehicle on Union Road at Route 33 early Monday morning while trying to put down st…
No suspects were in custody as of Monday afternoon.
Gould asked anyone with information about the incident to call Lt. Daniel Albrecht, who is leading the investigation, at 716-686-7461.
Anyone who wants to send in a confidential tip can text the number 847411 and type CPDNY to begin the body of the text. CrimeStoppers is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the driver of the Jeep Grand Cherokee.
“Our mission right now is to make sure that Officer Blackchief gets the best care possible, that his family is supported, that our officers are supported and that we bring those responsible to justice,” Gould said.