PAINESVILLE, Ohio — Surveillance video captured the moment a man driving an SUV intentionally drove into a gas pump and then into a truck that was fueling at a gas station, before striking other vehicles and threatening deputies in Painesville Saturday afternoon.
The incident happened at the GetGo Gas Station in the 1200 block of Mentor Avenue just before noon.
A man driving a black Buick Ranier SUV intentionally drove into a gas pump, dislodging the pump from the ground, officials say. The man then drove across the parking lot and struck a Ford pickup truck that was fueling at another pump. The Ford, which was occupied by an adult and two children, was pushed into the gas pump it was using, causing a fire that ignited and began to consume the truck, according to deputies.
Video released by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office shows the initial moment the SUV struck the gas pump and then rammed into the Ford at the pump.
After crashing into the truck, the man struck two more vehicles before his SUV became engulfed in flames.
The man pointed what at first appeared to be a gun towards authorities while sitting in the flaming SUV. He failed to comply with authorities and crawled out of the driver's side window holding the suspected gun in his hands. After a brief standoff with the man, deputies determined the object in his hands was not a gun but rather a pair of pliers he held in a manner that made authorities believe it was a gun, according to deputies.
Deputies that fired nonlethal bean bag rounds at the man as he continued to ignore commands, according to a Lake County Sheriff's Office Facebook post. The man was incapacitated by a Taser and secured by deputies. He was then pulled to safety away from the flaming vehicle.
The man, identified by deputies as Michael Craig, was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment, medically cleared and booked into the Lake County Jail.
Craig appeared in Court Monday where he pleaded not guilty to multiple charges including arson, vandalism, aggravated menacing, inducing panic and felonious assault. His bond was set at more than $3 million, according to court records.
RELATED: Police use beanbag round on man who allegedly threatened officers at Painesville gas station
