On Friday night, after reporters and protesters alike had packed up and moved out of Cleveland to set up shop at the Democratic convention in Philadelphia next week, someone in nearby Cuyahoga Falls crashed a car into several police cruisers in the department’s parking lot before ramming another police car and sending an officer to the hospital in serious condition.
WEWS in Cleveland is reporting the incident as a possible targeted attack on the police.
At 6 @WEWS Latest on alleged targeted attack on police in Cuyahoga Falls – officer in the hospital following crash pic.twitter.com/tzLO28Lw9W
— Derick Waller (@wallerABC7) July 23, 2016
Last night a vehicle entered the police department parking lot and crashed into several vehicles. The vehicle… https://t.co/CDgP1XbCIZ
— Cuyahoga Falls PD (@CuyFallsPolice) July 23, 2016
Police didn’t use the word “targeted” in a Facebook post Saturday describing the incident:
Last night a vehicle entered the police department parking lot and crashed into several vehicles. The vehicle later was involved in a crash on Broad Blvd with a police vehicle. The officer was taken to an area hospital where he was admitted. The incident is still under investigation. We ask that the public keep the officers family in their thoughts as he recovers and respects their privacy. Thank you for all your concerns and we will update more as facts are verified through the investigation.
However, WKYC is reporting that the suspect intentionally crossed lanes to ram a police cruiser after damaging three vehicles in the parking lot and fleeing the scene. “Police say officers began to pursue the suspect’s vehicle,” WKYC reports. “During the pursuit, Cuyahoga Falls police say the suspect crossed over into the lane of an assisting officer, purposely striking his patrol vehicle.”
The suspect was also hospitalized but has not yet been charged.
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