Police: Suspect who fled officers killed in crash

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AKRON , Ohio (WJW) — A man who police say led officers on a short vehicle pursuit on Tuesday evening was killed when his car crashed.

Officers stopped the car for traffic violations just before 7 p.m. in the 600 block of Copley Road, according to a Tuesday night news release. That’s near the Briarwood Drive intersection.

When police approached the car on foot, it sped off. Police chased the suspect down several residential streets in the area then, after about a minute, stopped chasing due to unsafe speeds, according to the release.

The car continued north on Roslyn Avenue “at a high rate of speed.” It ran a stop sign at the Copley Road intersection and crashed into a car heading westbound on Copley Road, according to the release. The driver lost control, sideswiped two other cars then hit a tree.

The driver, a 29-year-old man, was pronounced dead at the scene. The man’s name is being withheld pending further investigation.

The car’s front-seat passenger, a 30-year-old man, and the drivers of the other three vehicles involved were each transported to local hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries, according to the release.

Officers found a handgun inside the suspect’s car.

The crash remains under investigation, but speed appears to be a factor.

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