Drunken Wrong-Way Driver Stopped By Westlake Police

WESTLAKE, OH — A wrong-way driver ignored police and drove onto I-90 using the berm. Police had to box the driver in on Detroit Road to stop his SUV, according to Westlake police.

At 3:30 a.m., on Dec. 21, calls began coming in to Westlake police about a wrong way driver on I-90. Officers were told a Cadillac SUV was driving east on I-90 west. The vehicle was spotted leaving Lorain County and heading toward Westlake.

Officers tried to stop the SUV near Columbia Road, but the driver ignored police and pulled onto the berm to continue driving. Police chased the SUV while Rocky River police attempted to halt oncoming traffic and prevent a potentially fatal head-on crash.

The SUV drove onto the ramp for Detroit Road, going the wrong way, but was eventually boxed in by police cruisers. The driver, a 24-year-old from Lorain, was intoxicated and did not know why he was being stopped, police said.

Police said the driver blew two times over the legal limit for blood-alcohol content after being taken to Westlake Jail.

There was also a passenger in the SUV, a 25-year-old from Elyria. The passenger was asleep and had to be roused by police.

The passenger was so intoxicated, police said, that he needed help walking because he was unsteady on his feet.

The driver was charged with operating a vehicle impaired, and the passenger was charged with disorderly conduct while intoxicated, a minor misdemeanor.