T-L Photo/ROBERT A. DEFRANK St. Clairsville Council President Jim Velas, left, and Safety and Service Director Jeremy Greenwood on Tuesday hear a briefing about a high-speed chase through town that left two officers with minor injuries.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — A high-speed chase involving multiple agencies left two city police officers with minor injuries.

Police Chief Matt Arbenz briefed city leaders Tuesday.

“Two of our officers were involved in a high-speed pursuit. Unfortunately both of them got a little bit dinged up. They were treated and released at (WVU Medicine) Wheeling Hospital for concussions and should be cleared to return to duty next week,” he said.

Arbenz added that the officers – Andrew Gazdik and Adam Porter — are expected to make full recoveries.

Council commended the police force on its work.

Afterward, he said the incident began shortly after 10 a.m. when law enforcement spotted a car that was believed to be stolen.

“The car was stolen out of Lansing. The chase began just outside of our jurisdiction on the east end of town,” Arbenz said, adding that it began near the Ohio State Highway Patrol barracks and ended at McMillan Road in Barnesville.

St. Clairsville’s cruisers were joined by the Belmont County Sheriff’s Department, Barnesville police and the patrol.

“It wound up stopping on a gentleman’s private property. … He crashed into a field through a fence,” Arbenz said of the suspect. “Several vehicles got banged up. It was due to the dust on the gravel road. Nobody could see where they were going, and everybody tried to stop because they couldn’t see and vehicles wound up hitting each other. … I think four different cruisers ran into each other because nobody could see.

“As soon as that dust storm hit and they couldn’t see past their windshield, they tried to stop and people behind them ran into them because nobody could see anywhere. One minute everything was good, the next minute everybody was instantly blind.”

The suspect driver, Tan Dahn, 42, of 133½ Third St., Bridgeport, remained in the Belmont County Jail on Tuesday facing charges of assault on a police officer, grand theft, criminal trespassing, disorderly conduct, failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer and criminal damaging.

Arbenz also reported two city cruisers are now out of service, but officials do not yet know if they are “totaled.”

“The cruisers are in the process of getting evaluated by the insurance company,” Arbenz said, adding that damage repair estimates should be received this week. Meanwhile, an older vehicle has been put in service for the school resource officer.