Four people, including three teenagers in a stolen car, are recovering from injuries after a police chase from Euclid to Cleveland Monday night.
Investigators say the suspect vehicle refused to pull over for multiple attempted traffic stops and hit a Euclid officer before leading police on a multi-jurisdictional pursuit.
Witnesses told News 5 Monday night the fleeing car slammed into another vehicle at St. Clair Avenue and East 105th Street.
Euclid police pursuit ends in crash, sending 4 people to the hospital
RELATED: Euclid police pursuit ends in crash, sending 4 people to the hospital
"It was high speed," said Devion Steele, who witnessed the crash. "It was all gas, no brakes."
"I don't think they had a chance to hit the brakes," said Shawn Carter, who also watched the crash happen. "Everything just happened so fast, like it just happened in an instant."
Radio traffic from Monday night provided details about officers’ encounters with the stolen vehicle before the crash.
“We’re just following from a distance right now,” one Euclid officer said around 7:30 p.m. Monday.
Euclid police said Flock cameras, a system used to detect license plates and notify law enforcement about wanted vehicles, alerted the department about a stolen Kia Sportage on St. Clair Avenue in Euclid. Officers initiated a traffic stop on Rockwell Drive but did not initially pursue the car when it refused to stop.
“They almost struck one of our cruisers and took off,” one officer said on the radio.
“It was occupied,” another said. “The driver had a black mask on. It almost hit me.”
Officers then located the stolen car at a red light on Euclid Avenue and Highland Road. An officer there attempted to block the Kia with his police cruiser and approach the vehicle on foot. Investigators said the suspect driver hit the officer and sped away from the second attempted traffic stop.
The officer was not seriously injured. He was later treated and released from the hospital.
Other officers followed the Kia as it sped into Cleveland. Officers on the radio reported the fleeing vehicle exceeding speeds of 100mph.
The chase ended when the suspect vehicle crashed into an unrelated Kia Soul. Immediately after that crash, police said a Euclid cruiser drove through an oil slick caused by collision and also slid into the Kia Soul.
A 56-year-old woman inside the unrelated vehicle suffered serious injuries. Police said the 15-year-old suspect driver tried to leave the scene but was quickly caught by officers. Cleveland EMS reported both the suspect driver and a 15-year-old passenger were seriously injured.
A 14-year-old girl also in the suspect vehicle suffered critical injuries. Police said as of Tuesday, everyone was still hospitalized, but their injuries were considered non-life-threatening.
Investigators recovered a 9mm handgun in the stolen Kia. The weapon has been reported stolen in Euclid.
Euclid police said charges will be filed against the 15-year-old suspect driver and his 15-year-old passenger.
Cleveland Ward 9 City Council member Kevin Conwell told News 5 he plans to talk with the Cleveland safety director about young people in stolen cars and suburban police departments chasing wanted vehicles into the city of Cleveland.
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