View Full Version : Willoughby (my town) police nab 15-year-old driving 80 mph down Euclid Ave.


catlover79
04-23-2010, 11:23 PM
http://www.news-herald.com/articles/2010/04/23/news/doc4bd0501b922b7265389188.txt

Published: Friday, April 23, 2010

By Jason Lea
JLea@News-Herald.com

Willoughby police arrested a 15-year-old after he led them on a car and foot chase through the city.

Police Lt. Tom Trem said the boy, who lives in Willoughby, is thought to have run because he did not have a driver’s license and borrowed his father’s car without permission.

According to Trem, this is how the chase occurred:

* Officers spotted a black Pontiac Sunfire about 2:15 p.m. Wednesday on Euclid Avenue near the Willoughby Police Department. Police signaled the driver to pull over because it did not have any visible license plates.

* The car pulled into the parking lot of the city pool, and a 17-year-old boy jumped from the passenger side of the car and said, “I didn’t do anything wrong.”

* The driver did not follow the passenger. Instead, he pulled out of the parking lot and drove east onto Euclid Avenue.

* While turning onto the street, he almost struck a police cruiser that was pulling into the lot, Trem said.

* The Sunfire sped down Euclid Avenue. One officer estimated that the car was going as fast as 80 mph as it used the center lane to pass other vehicles and blew through a stoplight.

* The driver tried to turn left onto Grove Avenue, but he crashed the car. The boy abandoned it and ran east.

* Willoughby officers established a perimeter around where the boy was thought to be and soon found him in the basement of an apartment building on the 37300 block of Sharpe Avenue.

* While officers were checking the area, they noticed a cellar door was ajar a few inches. Officers ordered the boy to come out and he did.

* The cellar did not have access to the apartments in the complex, Trem said.

The entire chase lasted about 20 minutes.

The boy has been charged with delinquency by way of fleeing and eluding, possession of stolen property, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, failure to control, reckless operation, no driver’s license and criminal trespassing.

The 17-year-old boy, who is from Cleveland, has not been charged.

The News-Herald does not release the name of juveniles who are charged with crimes unless they are being tried as adults.

http://www.fox8.com/news/wjw-teen-wild-chase-willoughby-txt,0,7100116.story

Dash Cam: Boy, 15, Leads Willoughby Police on Wild Chase

Elisa Amigo Fox 8 Reporter
10:35 PM EDT, April 23, 2010

WILLOUGHBY, Ohio -- A teen who is not even old enough to drive is accused of leading police on a high-speed chase.

Willoughby police arrested a 15-year-old boy on charges of fleeing and eluding, driving without a license and obstructing official business Wednesday afternoon.

Dash cam video shows a black car taking off near the Willoughby Police Station on Euclid Avenue. Police said the car did not have visible license plates.

At one point, the 15-year-old stops the car in a parking lot. As the officer approaches the vehicle, a 17-year-old boy jumps out of the passengers side and then car takes off again.

According to police, the teen continued driving down Euclid Avenue sometimes reaching speeds of 80 mph. When he tried turning onto Grove Avenue, the teen crashed into a field and then got out and started running.

As police chased after him, the teen ran and hid in the basement of a home on Sharpe Avenue.

A police dog sniffed out his locations a short time later.

"The dog went right for the basement steps. One of the police officers went down and came up with the kid," said neighbor Jerry Mitchell.

The teen was taken into custody. Police say the car belonged to his father, who is a Willougbhy resident. "This young man put a lot of people in danger," said Willoughby Police Lt. Tom Trem.

No court dates have been announced at this time.

catlover79
04-23-2010, 11:29 PM
Click on the fox8 link to see my town - I drive eastbound on Euclid Ave. nearly every day. This happened around 2:15. After my computer class let out early at that same time, I had to drop something off at the library, and the route I always take is Euclid to Sharpe. I got to the library around 2:30 and on the way saw all these WPD cars. No lights were flashing, no sirens were blaring, but they just kept coming. I was so confused - what is going on here? Then I turn on our local nightly news and this story came on. I then cried out - "THAT'S what was going on this afternoon!!!" As for the kid - what a MORON!!!!!

Retro4Life
04-23-2010, 11:31 PM
What's going on in Ohio with bizarre driving stories this week? :eek:

catlover79
04-23-2010, 11:33 PM
I don't know - I'm just glad I wasn't around these maroons behind the wheel!!! :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

Retro4Life
04-24-2010, 12:11 AM
I don't know - I'm just glad I wasn't around these maroons behind the wheel!!! :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

Unfortunately, I'm sure there's plenty more where they came from! :eek:

catlover79
04-24-2010, 11:51 AM
Unfortunately, I'm sure there's plenty more where they came from! :eek:
Sad but true!!! :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

OH Nuts!
04-24-2010, 04:05 PM
Wow...that's some story...

Lee
04-24-2010, 05:13 PM
Forget Florida, strange things are happening in Willoughby and Willowick,
Ohio this week! I am just glad you were not in the path of these young
fools, Monika. And I am glad you do not live in that Apartment complex
where that car crashed. I would hate for us to lose a good member on
these boards.

catlover79
04-24-2010, 05:55 PM
^ Thank you!!!!

biffbronson
04-25-2010, 04:00 PM
A teen's brain is in a state of flux. Way back when I was around that age, I recall cracking 90 mph or so on the highway -- after the driving instructor sitting next to me had dozed off...!! But I never knew anyone who got into serious trouble comparable to what the article describes.

I'm glad you were able to avoid the mess. It's a shame police have to waste their time and energy on such wild knuckleheads, and even worse that the teens placed others in danger.

ZeldaGilroy
04-25-2010, 04:21 PM
Wow! I'm surprised by some of the things I've been seeing on the news regarding teens and even tweens. What are they thinking? Well, obviously they are not. I'm glad you were spared their path of destruction Monika!

Last week we had a high-speed police chase here where police were after a car filled with kids. When they finally were able to pull them over they discovered the driver was TWELVE! The other kids in the car ranged in age from 10-15.

catlover79
04-25-2010, 04:55 PM
Thanks, everyone! I'm glad I wasn't in the thick of the mess, either! There IS a stoplight right in front of the WPD. Another time, some moron ran the red light in front of the police station, in full view of an officer in a cruiser. Needless to say, the idiot driver was flagged down in short order. Stupid, but I couldn't help laughing. :rolleyes: :crazy: :lol: