Suspect Hits Police Cruiser With Car In Westlake

WESTLAKE, OH — A man running from police repeatedly smashed his car into a police cruiser in an attempt to escape, the Westlake police department announced on Saturday.

On Friday night, at about 8 p.m., Crocker Park Security contacted police and said two suspected shoplifters were seen leaving the Apple Store. Security confronted them in the parking garage at Union Street.

The suspects asked security not to call Westlake police because they had outstanding warrants for their arrest. When security said they'd already called for officers, one of the men got into a Chevy Impala and drove off.

Police caught up to the Impala before it got out of Crocker Park. The car was in a dead end alley near the Dick's Sporting Goods.

Cornered, the suspect drove his Impala into a Westlake police cruiser and then rammed it several times, police said. The man then jumped out of the car and ran into Dick's Sporting Good.

While inside the store, police said, the man changed his shirt and then hid in a stairwell. Police evacuated the store and found the man hiding inside. He was then taken to a hospital for a medical condition, police said.

No officers were hurt during the chase. Narcotics were found on the scene, police said.

Police said the man involved in the chase has not been formally charged, but does have outstanding felony warrants for dangerous drugs. The other man was identified and released.