Drunken Driver Hits 2 Police Cruisers In Westlake

WESTLAKE, OH — An intoxicated driver hit two police cruisers while trying to escape officers in Westlake.

On the morning of Jan. 9, callers said a man had passed out in his car while parked at the pumps of the BP Gas Station on Columbia and Center Ridge roads. The car had not moved in 20 minutes, callers told police.

When officers arrived, they tried to rouse the sleeping driver. When he woke, he refused to get out of his car and tried to drive away. He hit the bumpers of two police cruisers while trying to get out of the lot, police said.

Officers broke a window on the man's car and dragged the driver out, police said.

The driver was a 39-year-old Lorain resident. He was taken into custody and police searched his car. They found a stolen, loaded gun in the vehicle.

The driver was charged with operating a vehicle impaired (OVI). He took a breath test and blew over the legal limit, police said.

This was the man's fourth drunken driving charge since 2012, a Westlake police spokesperson said.

The driver was also charged with failure to comply with police officers and receiving stolen property.