SHAKER HEIGHTS, Ohio — A 69-year-old Shaker Heights resident was robbed at gunpoint Wednesday morning after confronting two men he found rummaging through his car.
According to Shaker Heights police, the robbery happened around 6:45 a.m. in the 2000 block of Kendall Road.
Authorities say that after the man confronted the robbers, he was forced back inside his home at gunpoint. Once inside, the robbers stole various items from the home as well as the man's car keys. Both robbers then fled the scene in the man's car.
Later, around 7:39 a.m., Cleveland police officers located the man's stolen car and followed the vehicle. Eventually, the stolen car crashed in the 8000 block of Woodland Avenue.
One of the men ran into a nearby yard but was captured by police. Both individuals were taken into custody and transported to a nearby hospital for treatment.
The robber's identities and potential charges have not been announced.
Cleveland Councilman Blaine Griffin's office said it has reached out to the Ohio Attorney General's Office about problematic police chases. The Councilman's office released the following statement about the above incident:
Councilman Blaine A. Griffin called on Ohio Attorney General David Yost today to establish statewide policies and guidelines relative to high-speed police chases across municipal boundaries.
Councilman Griffin is responding to a dangerous high-speed chase this morning from neighboring Shaker Heights through Cleveland along Woodland Avenue, which is a major artery. The chase, involving a dozen police cars, ended in a crash at a business on Woodland and Buckeye Road. It occurred this morning when children were on their way to school.
“When I responded to the scene, people were traumatized and outraged,” said Councilman Griffin. “They felt they were in the middle of an action movie. It’s sheer luck that no one was seriously hurt or killed. We need the governor and the state’s attorney general to step in and address this issue.”
The councilman is asking Yost to reconstitute Governor Mike DeWine’s Advisory Group on Law Enforcement Vehicle Pursuit, which DeWine established when he was the state’s attorney general. The advisory group encouraged municipalities to establish guidelines for police chases.
Under Cleveland’s pursuit policy, persons accused of minor, misdemeanor crimes are not to be chased. Chases are allowed only when police are pursing suspects involved in violent crimes or drunk driving. And no more than two police vehicles can be engaged.
At least 352 people, including one officer and 147 bystanders, were killed in law enforcement chases in Ohio between 1982 and 2014, according to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration noted in the advisory report.
Last month, 13-year-old Tamia Chappman was walking home from school in East Cleveland when she was struck and killed by a car in a high-speed police chase.
“We have to seriously consider the possible hazards resulting from these high-speed chases,” said Councilman Griffin. “They are truly traumatizing and deadly.”
Councilman Griffin is asking the attorney general to ensure that all cities adopt police-chase policies and that all officers are knowledgeable and trained.
The advisory group’s report, released in Nov. 2016, included recommendations that the state’s attorney general and the Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission require that a portion of mandatory training for all law enforcement officers include vehicle pursuit guidelines and safe driving techniques.
