CLEVELAND — A Cleveland Clinic Police officer is recovering from injuries suffered in a crash with a stolen vehicle.
Cleveland Clinic Police officers responded to reports of vehicle thefts at an employee lot at the hospital early Wednesday afternoon, according to a statement from the hospital system.
The crash took place around 3:30 p.m. near East 89th Street and Euclid Avenue and was not the result of a police pursuit, hospital officials said.
“It was like a millisecond. I couldn’t even react fast enough while it was happening," Andre Washington said.
He was also stopped at the intersection when he said a speeding black Kia slammed into the police cruiser. Washington's car and another vehicle were also caught in the crash.
“As soon as the collision happened, they got out and ran,” Washington said, referring to a group of four young people who were inside the Kia at the time.
A Cleveland Clinic officer was treated for injuries from the crash, and E 89th Street was shut down for several hours near the collision site. Hospital operations were not disrupted.
The stolen Kia is part of a larger pattern in Northeast Ohio and across the country. Some blame a social media trend for demonstrating and encouraging the theft of Kia and Hyundai vehicles.
“For somebody just to think it’s ok to steal it and joy ride or whatever they do with it, it’s sad, and I feel like people need to be held accountable,” said Derek, who asked News 5 not to share his last name.
The Cleveland resident woke to a call from his work in October, informing him his ID badge and some of his belongings had been discarded at a nearby business. Derek, who normally kept the items in his 2021 Kia Sportage, went to check the vehicle and discovered it was missing.
Police found the car in an undrivable state later that day.
“They took the steering column off, where you could start it up. That was torn off. It was scraped up real bad. It had a few dents in it,” Derek said, estimating the damage totaled around $10,000.
Derek's car is among the scores that have been targeted over the past year. In the first five months of 2022, the Kia and Hyundai made up just 5 percent of Cleveland's total vehicle thefts. In December of that year, after the TikTok videos gained traction, 65 percent of the city's reported stolen cars were Kias and Hyundais.
“It’s just so easy to steal these cars it almost became a game for children,” said Cleveland's Ward 13 City Council Member Kris Harsh.
Harsh sponsored a resolution in late February, calling on the city to file a lawsuit against the car manufacturers. The city ultimately did file suit, which was combined with other municipalities.
The councilman said he's encouraged by the result of another class action lawsuit, in which Kia and Hyundai settled for $200 million and agreed to install anti-theft measures in affected vehicles. In addition to legal action, Harsh also thinks the city could be more proactive.
“We have a severely understaffed police department. And until we can put more officers on the street to handle these issues, they’re not going to be able to get past the most critical issues of bodily harm and injury,” Harsh said.
Derek called on would-be car thieves to consider how the crime affects both the victims and the perpetrators.
“You should think about it because this could alter your future,” Derek said.
As of Wednesday evening, Cleveland Clinic Police had not provided an update on the condition of the officer involved in the Wednesday afternoon crash.
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