11/01/16 Oakwood Village, OH – Traffic Stop Stolen Vehicle – Suspect Uses Officer’s Taser On The Officer – Steals Patrol Car – Drags And Injures Officer – Suspect Escapes

November 11, 2016

cleveland.com

An unidentified man used a stun gun on an Oakwood Village officer before he stole a police cruiser Tuesday in Cleveland, police said.

The 11 a.m. scuffle on Lee Road near South Miles Road left the officer with injuries to both legs, Oakwood Village Police Chief Mark Garratt said.

Officers recovered the stolen police cruiser after the man ditched it on Cloverfield Avenue in Cleveland. No arrests have been made and the man has not been identified, Garratt said.

The officer tried to stop a car on Forbes Drive in Oakwood Village after a license plate check showed it had been reported stolen. The driver sped off and the officer followed the car onto the Interstate 480 west ramp, Garratt said.

The man got off the highway at Lee Road and clipped another car near South Miles Road. He jumped out of his car and tried to get into other cars, Garratt said.

The officer chased him and caught him. The officer used his stun gun when the man fought him to avoid arrest, Garratt said. The man then grabbed the stun gun and used it on the officer before he got into the cruiser and drove away, Garratt said.

Both the officer and a 70-year-old man who helped him at the scene were taken to Ahuja Hospital for treatment.

Investigators later discovered the stolen car has been linked to a series of armed robberies. They found a loaded gun and a box of bullets inside the car, Garratt said.

The incident remains under investigation.

A Facebook user posted a video Tuesday that appears to show the incident, including the scuffle and the man stealing the officer’s car. That video has been included at the bottom of this post.