A police car in Florence went up in flames following a pursuit with a stolen vehicle on Saturday. According to a press release, officers attempted to pull over the suspect vehicle around 2:47 PM, but the vehicle sped off, sparking a chase. The vehicle was carrying three individuals. After a few minutes, the occupants abandoned the vehicle, leading to a foot chase. Law enforcement managed to apprehend all three individuals and recover the stolen vehicle.
Following the foot chase, a citizen alerted a nearby officer to a fire in the patrol car. The patrol vehicle had been involved in the pursuit but was not on fire when the officer exited it. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation, but foul play is not suspected. Fortunately, no officers were injured as a result of the fire.