Ohio state trooper attacked by man, steals patrol car before being shot dead caught on bodycam

Video from a police body camera captured the moment when a suspect attacked a trooper in Ohio, stole his patrol car, and was later shot dead by Pennsylvania State Police. 

The incident occurred on April 4, when DeShawn Leeth, 30, was in a rollover crash on the Ohio Turnpike in Springfield Township close to the Pennsylvania border, as reported by the Ohio State Patrol. 

After the crash, an officer arrived and spotted Leeth on the shoulder of the highway. He made contact with Leeth and was attacked. 

DeShawn Leeth was caught on bodycam footage fighting an Ohio State Patrol officer April 4, 2025. (Ohio State Patrol)

That’s when police say Leeth took off in the officer’s patrol vehicle and drove into Pennsylvania. 

The Pennsylvania State Police resumed the chase for Leeth, and when he crashed the Ohio cruiser, he again attacked officers, according to mlive.com.

He was reportedly shot dead at the crash site. 

Leeth was described as a community leader and the executive director of Under-Dawg-Nation, a nonprofit focused on children harmed by violence.

“Under-Dawg-Nation’s main goal is to support at-risk kids who lack resources, as well as to prevent adolescent violence and school disengagement,” states the organization’s website. 

However, court records show Leeth spent seven years in jail in Michigan after pleading guilty to eight home invasion charges from separate incidents in 2012 and 2016. He was released in 2023. 

A 2019 mugshot of DeShawn Leeth. (Michigan Department of Corrections)

Ohio State Patrol declined further comment. 

Fox News Digital reached out to the Pennsylvania State Police.