The authorities are currently seeking the male individual who was driving the Chevy Malibu that led them on a pursuit. A 24-year-old woman was apprehended and accused of providing false information.
In Parma, Ohio, law enforcement officials are on the lookout for the driver suspected of initiating a high-speed chase that resulted in two police cruisers colliding and an officer sustaining injuries on Monday evening.
A statement released by the Parma Police Department stated that officers tried to pull over a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu on State Road at 7:41 p.m. after noticing a possible equipment violation.
The driver in the Malibu did not stop for police after officers turned the emergency lights on, instead attempting to flee on Torrington Avenue. While trying to catch up to the suspect, the officers were involved in an accident. One of the officers in the cruiser sustained minor injuries.
While attempting to assist the original officers, another Parma officer with its emergency lights on was involved in an accident, disabling the cruiser. Stop strips were deployed in the area of Ridge Road and Brookpark Road in an attempt to stop the suspect. The suspect drove the vehicle over the strips, continuing westbound on Brookpark Road.
At that point, Parma officers ended the pursuit due to the accidents involving their officers and in the interest of public safety. Police say the vehicle reached speeds in excess of 70 mph during the pursuit.
Officers then drove westbound on Brookpark Road to make sure other cars were not involved in accidents related to the suspect. While driving westbound, the suspect’s vehicle was located in a grass median near W. 130th Street. Also at the scene, police observed a woman, identified as 24-year-old D’Andra Rachelle Gainer, “standing out of the vehicle and in a hysterical state.”
Police say Gainer told officers that the male driver of the Malibu fled on foot northbound on W. 130th Street. However, after further questioning, officials said Gainer had not told the truth about her knowledge of or relationship with the suspect. She was arrested and charged with falsification.
The suspect remains at large, but police say he has been identified.