LORAIN COUNTY, Ohio — A woman in Lorain fled from police early Wednesday morning and hit a school bus.
The pursuit began when a driver drove away during a traffic stop at the intersection of West Erie Avenue and Leavitt Road.
She pulled over after nearly causing an accident, according to police.
“The vehicle stops once he starts going to approach; the vehicle takes off from him,” Lorain Police Department Public Information Officer Eric Manicisc said.
The chase continued through several neighborhoods at varying speeds, according to authorities.
“Those slow speeds can quickly become fast speeds and vice versa. The amount of traffic you have can vary from road to road,” Manicisc said.
Home security footage from Jessica Keller, a resident of West 11th Street and Parkview Avenue, captured part of the chase.
“That morning I was just doing my normal routine. Drinking some coffee and playing on my phone and all of a sudden I heard sirens,” Keller said.
She stepped outside to see what was happening.
“I literally see the car driving at snail's pace, and I’m like, ‘OK, what is going on,’” she said.
Police decided to call off the pursuit as the chase entered Sheffield Village, citing safety concerns.
“The biggest thing going into these chases is you don’t know what the driver is going to do and you don’t know how much they are willing to risk the safety of others,” Manicisc said.
However, just minutes after the pursuit ended, officers received calls reporting a crash involving a school bus.
Police say they called off the chase, but within a couple of minutes, they started to get phone calls that the car crashed into a bus at the intersection of East 31st Street and Tacoma Avenue.
Police said the driver had left the city but later returned, resulting in what they described as “two separate events.”
“It had actually left the city altogether and ended up coming back in the city. So though it was the same vehicle it was actually two separate events,” Manicisc said.
No students or staff on the school bus were injured in the crash. Lorain County Schools released a statement confirming the bus had been struck during the police pursuit:
"A Lorain City Schools bus was struck by a vehicle during a police pursuit this morning.
No students or staff were injured.
The incident occurred around 8:30 a.m. when the school bus, stationary at a stop sign at East 31st Street and Tacoma Avenue, was hit by a vehicle being pursued by the Lorain Police Department. School personnel immediately coordinated with Lorain
Police Department officers to ensure student safety.
As a precaution, two students were evaluated at the scene and confirmed to be uninjured. The bus driver was also unharmed in the incident.
The safety of our students is our highest priority. We are grateful that all safety protocols worked as intended and that no one was hurt. The district's transportation department and school administrators maintained constant communication throughout the incident to keep families informed and ensure that all safety procedures were followed.
The district provided alternate transportation to ensure the students arrived safely at school."
Lorain police clarified they were not actively pursuing the vehicle at the time of the crash. They also said their preliminary investigation suggests impairment was a factor.
The woman was arrested in connection with the incident.
