Dash camera video released by the Wickliffe Police Department of a traffic stop involving a stolen van shows the moment an officer was nearly hit by a fleeing vehicle.
The incident happened around 7 a.m. on Sept. 3 at a hotel on Euclid Avenue.
Authorities said officers had just located a Dodge Caravan in the hotel's parking lot and initiated a traffic stop. The video shows the van's operator attempt to flee by driving through an entrance canopy at the hotel, only to slam on the brakes and throw the vehicle in reverse, nearly hitting the officer before the van collided with a patrol car.
According to police, officers gave chase and followed the van as it took off and got on Interstate 90 eastbound. The driver and passenger later ditched the vehicle in the 15800 block of Parkgrove Avenue. Officers chased the driver and passenger a short distance on foot but the two men were able to elude officers.
A .40-caliber handgun was found inside the van during a search, police said.
Police said they have an idea of who the two suspects are, but no charges have been filed at this time.
