04/07/16 Shaker Heights, OH – Man Tries To Enter Troubled Children’s Center During Fire Drill – Hides Under Parked Car – Steals Police Vehicle – Crashes Into Two Other Police Cars – Officer Injured

April 7, 2016

cleveland.com

Shaker Heights police arrested a man Thursday morning after he stole a police car and then crashed into two other police cars.

One police officer was hospitalized with minor injuries following the incident near the intersection of Becket and Hampton Roads, Shaker Heights Cmdr. John Cole said.

Police haven’t released the name of the suspect, who Cole said wasn’t cooperating with detectives.

The incident started when the man tried to enter the Greenview Day Treatment Center on the 14000 block of Southington Road, police said. The center provides services to “troubled and troubling children and their families,” according to the website.

Officials called police about 9:30 a.m. to report that a man was trying to enter the building during a fire drill, Cole said. Officers set up a perimeter around the center to search for him.

One officer found the man hiding under a car in the parking lot, Cole said. The man rolled out from under the car, ran and jumped into an unlocked police cruiser with the keys inside.

The man drove the car down the street into two other police cars, one of which was occupied, Cole said. Officers didn’t initiate a chase.

Shaker Heights police were at the scene Thursday afternoon to investigate and clear the debris.