Garfield Heights police officers arrested three men early Thursday morning after the trio tried to flee from police in a stolen Kia and a Hyundai.
According to the police report, it happened just after 4 a.m. in the 12700 block of Service Court.
The report states an officer came across a Kia and Hyundai sitting still on the road. One person was in the Hyundai and two people were in the Kia. All three individuals were wearing dark clothing and ski masks. Additionally, the officer said they noticed both cars had broken out rear passenger windows, "which is common for stolen vehicles."
RELATED: Percent of stolen Kias, Hyundais triples after TikTok challenge goes viral, police data shows
The officer wrote in the report that the Hyundai's driver "seemed to panic when seeing me and attempted to reverse quickly but was unable to maneuver around the Kia." The Hyundai crashed into the Kia, and then hit a large rock that disabled the car. The driver jumped out of the Hyundai and into the Kia and that car fled from police.
The officer gave chase and several other officers joined in. The report said the chase reached speeds in excess of 70 mph through mostly empty streets.
Eventually, the Kia stopped at Miles Park Elementary School after it hit a snow mound and was blocked in. The three men jumped out of the vehicle and ran off, the report said.
Officers followed tracks through the snow and located the three men. All three were taken into custody. The men were unarmed, but police found "criminal tools" including USB drives used to start the Kia and Hyundai as well as tools to break open steering columns.
Authorities later confirmed the Kia was reported stolen out of Cleveland. The Hyundai had not been reported stolen, but police said they were contacting the owner to determine if the vehicle was stolen since it had a broken window and steering column damage.
The three men have been charged with receiving stolen property, a fourth-degree felony and possession of criminal tools, a first-degree misdemeanor.
RELATED: 842 Kias and Hyundais stolen in Cuyahoga County in just 2 months
In just about two months in Cuyahoga County, 842 Kia and Hyundai vehicles have been stolen. The vast majority, 674, were from Cleveland. You can watch more in the player below:
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