AKRON, Ohio — It was just after 1 a.m. on Oct. 20 when Highland Square residents and others just out for a fun night on the town were startled by the sights and sounds of an Akron police cruiser smashing into a parked car.
The collision on West Market Street set off a chain-reaction crash that left three other cars damaged.
"I just heard a bunch of commotion and I went outside and I asked what was going on, and they said that somebody hit four cars on the street and my car was one of the cars," said Steven Rockich, a bartender at Square Nightclub.
His car, a 2010 Mazda 3, was totaled. It was second in the line of parked cars.
"The front of the car was just totally smashed up. It was like an accordion," Rockich said.
The first car that was struck was also totaled, according to witnesses.
Two officers, who were in the cruiser, and a man getting out of one of the parked cars were transported to Akron hospitals with minor injuries.
Rockich, 24, is now forced to find rides to work, and he's bothered that he hasn't heard from police nine days after the crash.
He also believes the city should pay him money for the damage as he navigates the insurance claim process.
"Honestly, I don't really know why it's taking so long. It's like, if the cops smashed into the cars, I feel like the cops should be paying right now," Rockich said. "I have insurance— comprehensive and liability— but I don't have collision, and it's considered a collision-type of incident, so my insurance won't cover any of it."
News 5 obtained the crash report that shows Unit 2 (the police cruiser) was "in error." According to Captain Michael Miller, that means the officer driving the cruiser was at fault.
The report states the police car was traveling westbound on West Market Street, responding to an emergency call at "a high rate of speed" with its overhead emergency lights activated. Miller said the officers were heading to a burglary call.
According to the report, another car (Unit 1) made a U-turn in front of the cruiser, at which point the police car "activated its sirens." The report explained that the officer swerved to avoid striking Unit 1, "failed to control," and hit the first parked car head-on.
Community organizer Fran Wilson has been looking into the incident and making records requests with the police department.
"I care about this area and my neighborhood and I want answers too," Wilson said.
Part of APD's Emergency Vehicle Operation policy states, "While the use of warning lights without a siren my be tactically efficient when responding to certain emergency calls, the practice is extremely dangerous and requires the maximum care and alertness on the part of the operator of a police vehicle."
The policy also reads, "The decision to utilize warning lights, without a siren, rests with the individual officer.
Wilson is questioning whether the officers handled the response properly before the crash happened, especially the timing of when the siren was activated.
"I would love to see a review of how police operate their own vehicles, when they use their sirens and a little bit more accountability for when that's misused," Wilson said.
Miller said the officers involved in the Highland Square crash are under internal review.
"We're taking a methodical, intentional look at both sides from a crash investigation standpoint and also from a policy standpoint," Miller said.
The review could take several more days or weeks as the department works to figure out if the officers violated policy, and if so, should there be any disciplinary action?
Meanwhile, frustration is growing for Rockich, who is still waiting for answers as to who will help him pay him for a replacement car.
News 5 reached out to the mayor's office for further comment about the incident and to ask if there are any protocols in place to reimburse owners whose cars are damaged by city vehicles.
Akron spokesperson Stephanie Marsh said the report is being reviewed by the law department.
Rockich started a GoFundMe to help raise money for a new vehicle. If you are interested in donating, click here.
A day after our report aired, Akron Councilman-at-Large Eric D. Garrett wrote a letter to Akron Mayor Shammas Malik asking for clarification on incident response and accountability protocols. Specifically, Garrett is asking to know the processes behind accident response, internal review and public reporting.
Additionally, Garrett said he would like to know about compensation and resolution for those who were impacted by the crash.
