CLEVELAND — A 38-year-old man is facing multiple charges after he allegedly stole a car with a toddler inside and then struck and killed a bicyclist while fleeing from police.
The suspect, Eric Maldonado, is charged with aggravated robbery, kidnapping and aggravated vehicular homicide, according to Cleveland police.
The incident started Friday night around 8:20 p.m. Authorities said that a woman stopped in the 3100 block of West 44th Street, got out of her car and then had her cousin watch the vehicle and her 2-year-old child that secured in a car seat inside the car.
That’s when police said that a man walked up to the woman’s cousin, knocked her to the ground and then sped off in the woman’s car with the child still inside.
The woman called police and followed her car in another vehicle while talking to a police dispatcher, according to authorities.
A patrolling officer located the woman’s car heading north on West 65th Street and gave chase. The suspect turned down Lorain Avenue and fled from police at a high rate of speed, authorities said.
When the suspect reached the area of West 45th Street and Bridge Avenue, he struck a bicyclist, another car and then a tree, according to police. The suspect tried to escape but was captured by officers.
The bicyclist was pronounced dead at the scene. He was later identified as Devaughn Payne, 28, according to the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office.
The toddler was unharmed in the incident.
One police officer injured their hand arresting the suspect.
According to Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas records, Maldonado is currently wanted for a probation violation relating to a separate case in 2018.
