Driver Rams Cleveland EMS Trucks, Nearly Hits Police Officers

CLEVELAND — A driver hit a Cleveland fire department truck, an EMS vehicle and nearly clipped a group of police officers with his car before speeding away. Officers said the man's abandoned car was later found in Euclid Avenue, but the suspect has, thus far, eluded police.

On Wednesday night, at 8:30 p.m., police were told there was an "out-of-control" man at a gas station on Euclid. A caller told police the man was "flipping out" at one of the pumps.

When officers arrived, the man had driven his car into a field near the gas station. The driver was outside of the car, shadow boxing, police said in a report. Seeing the man punching air, police believed he was intoxicated and tried to speak to him.

As EMS and fire units arrived, the man got back into his car and refused to come out. EMS and fire vehicles were used to box the man's car in, according to a Cleveland police report.

Stuck between the vehicles, the man began dancing in his car. Police said the man appeared to go in and out of consciousness while inside his vehicle, but when he woke up he would resume dancing.

The man eventually stopped dancing, put his car in drive, and hit an EMS truck.

Police then spotted a half-empty bottle of liquor in the car's backseat, police records said. With the driver ignoring commands, and still dancing, officers tried to open one of the car doors. It was locked.

Police then knocked on the driver's side window. The man tried to drive his car forward again, but his vehicle was in neutral. Officers broke the car window and tried to pull the man out of the car, records said.

The driver then put his car in reverse and hit another EMS truck. Then he drove his car forward, hitting the other truck boxing him in. He kept backing up and going forward, smashing the trucks, until his car began to fishtail and he spun out near the officers trying to pull him from his car.

Police then backed up and the man was able to maneuver his car from between the trucks. He drove through several front yards and then onto the street and away from police. As he drove from the area, he nearly hit several Cleveland firefighters, police records said.

No emergency personnel were harmed during the incident.

Officers found a cell phone in the field, possibly dropped by the man.

The man's car was later found on Euclid Avenue, abandoned. The car was towed and is being processed for evidence, police said.