A police pursuit involving a wanted suspect ended in a head-on crash Thursday afternoon on Route 2 near mile marker 165.2, triggering a major emergency response and shutting down both directions of the highway.
According to scanner traffic monitored by the Scanning RF Facebook page, the suspect, a Black male driving a black Jeep Wrangler with no top, had previously fled from Elyria Police earlier in the day. When officers spotted the vehicle again, the suspect fled a second time and entered Route 2 driving in the wrong direction.
Elyria Police did not pursue the vehicle after it began traveling the wrong way. The Jeep then collided head-on with another vehicle. The suspect was ejected from his vehicle and initially reported as unresponsive at the scene.
Multiple agencies responded, including Elyria Police, Amherst Police, Lorain County Sheriff’s Office, Elyria Township Fire Department, and the Ohio State Highway Patrol. Metro Life Flight was requested, but with no helicopter available, a ground transport unit was dispatched from Lorain County Regional Airport.
Due to heavy traffic, fire and EMS crews were forced to travel the wrong way on Route 2 to reach the scene. Fire personnel later reported four people in critical condition. The suspect was taken into custody and transported to University Hospitals Elyria Medical Center. The conditions and identities of the other victims have not been released.
Route 2 was closed in both directions. Westbound traffic was diverted to State Route 58, and the on-ramp to westbound Route 2 was also shut down. OSP relayed that over 35 units, including police and emergency responders, were involved. Three towing companies were called to assist. The final vehicle removed was the suspect’s Jeep.
The crash is under investigation. Updates will be provided as official information becomes available.