A Cleveland man was arrested after a Parma Police pursuit Thursday night that left a 70-year-old man injured, and Old Brooklyn residents are frustrated after multiple pursuits and crashes ended in their neighborhood in recent months.
At about 8:18 p.m. on Nov. 9, Parma Police observed a 1999 Honda Civic driving north on Peal Road near Ridge Road, according to a news release from the department. The officer noticed multiple equipment violations and initiated a traffic stop.
The Honda slowed and pulled into the McDonald’s on Pearl Road, the release states. The driver circled the McDonald’s, then exited back onto Pearl Road, heading north again.
The officer pursued the vehicle into State Road in Cleveland, where the Honda struck a 2003 Buick Century, police said. The driver fled the vehicle and ran north on the east sidewalk of Pearl Road, refusing the officer’s commands to stop. He fled between buildings until he tripped, and the pursuing officer caught up to him and arrested him.
The driver was identified as a 33-year-old man from Cleveland.
Cleveland EMS and Cleveland Police officers responded to the scene to assist. The arrested driver, his 40-year-old female passenger and the 70-year-old driver of the Buick were taken to a nearby hospital.
The case will be forwarded to the Cuyahoga County Grand Jury for additional charges, Parma Police said.
News 5 followed through on this incident after reporting on a crash involving Parma Police in August. A woman hit head-on by a wrong-way driver on I-76 was severely injured, and her dog died. Parma Police was chasing the other car moments before, but police said its officer lost sight of it and terminated the pursuit.
“It sucks I’m not going to have the same teeth again, or my ankles will never be the same; that doesn’t hurt as much as not being able to see my dog,” Goodman said.
People in Old Brooklyn are frustrated and want answers.
“Yeah, this is disheartening; we have people walking up and down these sidewalks all the time; it doesn’t take much. You can see we’re five feet from the street,” Carl Schanz said.
Watch our follow-through investigation below:
RELATED: Old Brooklyn neighbors want something done about Parma chases after third wreck in months
