Carjacking In Lakewood: 66-Year-Old Man Victimized

LAKEWOOD, OH — A 66-year-old man was carjacked late on Thursday night in Lakewood. Police said the man was brushing snow off his running 2000 Toyota Corolla when two men approached and managed to steal his car.

The incident took place at about 10:20 p.m. in the 1500 block of W. 117th Street. The two men approached the 66-year-old while he was clearing the snow. One of the suspects got into the driver's seat and tried to drive away.

The 66-year-old fought back, trying to pull the man out of the car. The second man then confronted the 66-year-old and in the scuffle, the car was driven off the lot. The second suspect then ran off and was later picked up in the stolen car, police said.

One of the suspects had a stun gun. They pulled the weapon out and the 66-year-old heard the sparkling of the weapon, but the stun gun never actually made contact with him. No other weapons were seen. The 66-year-old was not hurt and did not require medical treatment, according to police.

The incident comes just days after the annual State of Lakewood address, delivered by Mayor Mike Summers. During that speech, the mayor said the city would be improving its security measures, partly as a response to the spike in carjackings in recent months.

Summers also issued a statement on the carjackings on Wednesday. "The recent spate of robberies that resulted in cars being stolen is very serious. While it is not uncommon for certain crimes to occur in waves, often by the same perpetrator, public safety is never taken for granted in Lakewood," he said.

To try and curb the trend of carjackings in the city, Summers said the city is going to engage in a multifaceted approach. That process will start with Lakewood collaborating with Cleveland Police, the Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Office and other local police forces.

Summers said the city will also begin focusing patrols on likely hotspots or targets areas for carjackings. The city is also going to work with private property owners to get better lighting in some areas and to improve both human and electronic surveillance.

"Near-term improvements included expanding the existing 46 public surveillance cameras by adding 14 more cameras at the remaining Detroit Avenue intersections this year. We will increase coverage to every Madison Avenue intersection in 2019, and ultimately cover every exit from our city," Summers said.

Photo from Shutterstock