CLEVELAND — Police shut down multiple roads after a chase and a crash in Cleveland involving a Cuyahoga County Sheriff deputy early Thursday morning.
Our Overnight News tracker captured this scene at the corner of East 40th Street and Commerce Parkway.
CCSO with a pursuit crash on E40th at Commerce. I heard multiple shots fired right before the chase began from my location at E30 & Euclid. Officers & deputies from CPD, Euclid, Parma, South Euclid & Brooklyn Hts are searching with drones & dogs for suspects. Working on more info pic.twitter.com/LYyZarKRL4
— Mike Vielhaber (@MVielhaber) August 7, 2025
A Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department cruiser crashed into a building.
The initial call came in around 2:30 a.m. for dozens of shots fired in the area of East 40th Street and Quincy Avenue.
Chief Deputy Aaron Reese said a chase started after deputies tried to pull over a stolen Kia.
It sped off.
He said deputies received permission to chase the Kia.
The Kia then crashed into a utility pole at East 40th Street and Kelley Avenue after the deputy used a Precision Immobilization Technique (PIT) to stop the vehicle.
"It's a safe way to stop pursuits before other members of the motoring public are put at risk," Reese said. "It's not something that they do just kinda haphazardly. I mean, in order to request permission to use that technique, you must be trained."
The maneuver caused the deputy's cruiser to crash into a nearby building.
No one was seriously hurt.
After the crash, six people got out of the vehicle and ran off. Four juveniles were taken into custody following a short foot chase, Reese said. An adult suspect was found in a nearby building.
Six guns were also seized during the investigation, two of which had been previously reported stolen. A vehicle reported stolen out of Cleveland was also recovered.
A county spokesperson said the juveniles were released to their parents and are pending charges.
"They should be out playing basketball and playing sports and participating in meaningful activities versus victimizing people, shooting people, and fleeing from law enforcement," Reese said.
The adult suspect was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment for an injury he sustained while fleeing from police. He will be transported to the Cuyahoga County Jail after his release from the hospital. His charges haven't been announced.
Police are still searching for one suspect.
Downtown Safety Patrol
The deputies involved are part of the Downtown Safety Patrol that began in August 2023. That summer, Cleveland saw several violent crimes, including a mass shooting and a homicide weeks later.
This April, two county council members called for the patrol to be disbanded. They proposed prohibiting the sheriff from using funds for it. That came after a chase and deadly crash that ended at Eddy Road and I-90 in March.
Records show that the chase began with an initial traffic stop for window tint and concern over an expired plate. An Ohio Department of Transportation video showed the aftermath of an explosion when the car deputies were chasing hit an SUV, sending it over the bridge.
Watch more on the chase:
RELATED: Fireball and explosions at end of chase by Cuyahoga county sheriff's deputies
The suspect in that case, Nigel Perry, died that night. Tamya Westmoreland, who had nothing to do with the chase, died two weeks later. A council member called for the safety patrol to be disbanded.
RELATED: County Council member calls for Downtown Safety Patrol to be disbanded
Previously, County Executive Chris Ronayne said dismantling the task force would risk public safety. Mayor Justin Bibb has also weighed in, saying it's the wrong move about a proposal to pull funding for the patrol; that legislation is pending.
Chase policy
We've learned from County Council Member Sunny Simon that they're now working on changing the sheriff's department's chase policy. Simon said that the basis of a chase can't only be on a misdemeanor but needs to be a felony.
We expect to hear more after the council returns from summer break.
