An Ohio man who repeatedly rammed police vehicles with a stolen Chevy Suburban while attempting to escape arrest will not be serving prison time for the incident. Instead, 22-year-old Angelo Locurto received five years of probation, a sentence that left Kettering Police Chief Protsman publicly questioning whether the punishment matched the danger officers faced.
According to the Kettering Police Department, officers were alerted to a theft suspect driving a stolen Chevy Suburban near Smithville Road and Forrer Boulevard on August 19, 2026. Detectives and patrol officers eventually located the vehicle parked beside a gas pump at a BP station on South Smithville Road.
Police recognized the vehicle from an incident the previous day, when its driver had fled officers with the Riverside Police Department. Hoping to prevent another escape, Kettering officers positioned their patrol vehicles around the Suburban before approaching the suspect.
However, when the driver noticed the flashing lights and heard the sirens, he climbed into the stolen SUV and attempted to drive away. Police say he repeatedly rammed their vehicles, nearly striking officers standing nearby while other officers were still inside the cruisers being hit.
Officers Break SUV Window and Deploy Taser
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According to the department, Locurto continued revving the Suburban’s engine and spinning its tires while attempting to get past the surrounding police vehicles. Officers approached the SUV to stop him, but he refused their commands to surrender.
With the vehicle still presenting a danger, officers used a window punch to break the driver’s side window before deploying a Taser and pulling Locurto from the SUV. During the arrest, officers spotted a handgun on the front driver’s seat, which investigators subsequently determined had been stolen.
Police also discovered suspected narcotics inside the vehicle, although the department stated that the substances were awaiting laboratory analysis. Locurto was taken into custody, and Chief Protsman later emphasized that no one was seriously injured despite the danger posed during the encounter.
Police Chief Criticizes Probation Sentence Following Guilty Pleas
A grand jury initially approved multiple charges against Locurto, including grand theft of a motor vehicle, obstruction of official business, failure to comply, assault on police officers, and several firearm-related offenses. On October 6, however, Locurto pleaded guilty to six offenses: grand theft, two counts of failure to comply, assault on a police officer, and two counts of receiving stolen property.
Rather than receiving a prison sentence, Locurto was sentenced to five years of probation, participation in two rehabilitation programs, and completion of a DUI Victim Impact Program. He was also ordered to pay $8,589.62 in restitution, including $6,089.62 to the Ohio Attorney General’s Office and $2,500 to the Kettering Police Department.
Chief Protsman criticized the outcome in a public statement, pointing to Locurto’s actions on August 18 and 19 and his prior criminal history involving offenses such as failure to comply, drug possession, and receiving stolen property. “I am very disappointed,” the chief wrote, arguing that the sentence failed to hold Locurto appropriately accountable for the danger he posed to officers and the public.