AKRON, Ohio — Akron police fatally shot a driver following an attempted traffic stop in the city’s North Hill neighborhood early Monday, according to the Akron Police Department.
Police said it started around 12:30 AM when they attempted to stop the driver on Tallmadge Avenue in Akron's North Hill neighborhood, but he fled. Within a few seconds of being on Route 8, officers say a firearm was discharged from the driver's vehicle.
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Officers pursued the driver down Route 8 and I-77 where the vehicle exited into the Firestone Park area.
One dead in Akron after a chase and officer involved shooting overnight. APD says that they chased a driver from North Hill after a traffic stop, during the pursuit they say he fired shots out of the car. The chase ended in Bridgestone's parking lot with dozens of shots fired. pic.twitter.com/cyXHuDHfZb
— Mike Vielhaber (@MVielhaber) June 27, 2022
The driver then slowed his vehicle, jumped out and fled on foot, heading northbound through a grassy area into a parking lot at Bridgestone.
The driver was shot by officers. Police say they immediately administered first aid until EMS arrived. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene at 1:03 a.m.
A witness told News 5 he heard between 30 and 45 shots.
“I heard two shots. I heard a bunch of police cars going down the road because I can see Main Street from my house,” said Richard Barnes, a resident. “Then I heard a bunch more shots, probably 30-40 more. And then a bunch more police cars flying past, so when I got down here they were taping everything off already.”
Police said as far as they could tell, only one person was in the vehicle. No officers were injured.
The Summit County Medical Examiner's Office will provide an update once positive identification is made.
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