CUYAHOGA HEIGHTS, Ohio — A 40-year-old man wanted on rape charges managed to escape from a moving police cruiser for a short time early Friday morning before being recaptured.
A Cuyahoga Heights police officer driving south on East 71st Street ran the plate number of a black Chevrolet that was heading in the same direction. The car came back registered to a man named Jacob Owens, who was indicted earlier this month on two counts of rape, according to a police report and court records.
Owens was not in the vehicle at the time. A short while later, the officer encountered the vehicle again, but this time Owen was spotted inside.
The report states that the officer stopped the vehicle, ordered Owens to get out and then took him into custody.
Later, while heading north on I-77, the report says that Owens managed to escape from his handcuffs, reach around the window and between the metal bars to open the door, the report states.
Owens then bailed out of the car. The officer stopped the vehicle, jumped out and gave chase. Owens continued running, then jumped over a guard rail and headed down a grass embankment
The officer shouted for the man to stop and kept chasing him. When Owens reached the bottom of the hill he tripped, which gave the officer a chance to tackle him.
At that point, Owen's told the officer, "I give up. I'm not going to fight you," according to the report. The officer then took him back into custody.
The report states that Owen's tried to escape from the cruiser a second time but was unsuccessful.
Owens is scheduled to appear in court on Dec. 19 for an arraignment on the rape charges.
