Driver flees Akron police, crashes and dies

A 26-year-old man died, and a 30-year-old man was injured Tuesday night in a crash after fleeing from Akron police officers.

According to the Akron Police Department, everything started just before 7 p.m. in the 600 block of Copley Road when officers spotted a vehicle for "suspicious activity."

A uniformed detective working an anti-violence detail exited their cruiser and approached the Nissan Altima. Police said that's when the 26-year-old driver Logan Johnson fled.

News 5 asked Akron Police more about the exact circumstances that led to the chase.

"What they describe as suspicious activity, I'm not privy to what that activity was or what the people in the car were doing, but it also included multiple traffic violations. I was told they were moving violations, lane violations, stop sign violations and so forth, but I'm not sure the exact total," said Akron Police Public Information Captain Michael Miller.

The officer canceled the chase after speeds reached 80 mph in that busy residential area.

We also asked Akron police the exact length of time between the cancellation of the chase and the crash.

"We believe, and it's preliminary, but that it's approximately from the time of the cancel to the time of the crash it's somewhere around 28 to 29 seconds," said Miller.

The car continued north on Roslyn Avenue and ran a stop sign at Copley Road, where it collided with another vehicle, sideswiped two more cars and then struck a tree.

CONNOR MAY

Johnson was pronounced dead at the scene. The passenger, identified as the 30-year-old man, was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

Two occupants of the three other vehicles the fleeing car struck were also taken to the hospital, police said. Their injuries were not considered life-threatening.

According to police, officers located a loaded handgun in the car that fled.

The uniformed detective had no body-worn or dash camera on their cruiser.

"The question is invariably going to be asked why is an undercover agent involved in this type of criminal investigation doing a traffic stop," said Michael Benza, law professor at Case Western Reserve University.

Akron Police said it launched its investigation into the pursuit to ensure the officer followed policy. Meanwhile, the officer remains working for the department.

"I think the public is becoming more concerned about the negative outcomes that arise from high-speed chases. But, it's the person who should be stopping that is the one that's causing this problem. If they just pull over when we turn on the lights, we don't have a problem," said Benza.