STOW, Ohio — A man wanted in connection with an attempted murder investigation in Canton is in custody after two police pursuits, a serious crash, an officer-involved shooting and an alleged carjacking Tuesday evening in Summit County.
Around 3:20 p.m., troopers were told to look out for a gray Kia Telluride driven by 39-year-old Julius Edwards, who had fled from Canton police and U.S. Marshals, OSHP said.
Flock cameras located the vehicle just before 7:30 p.m. on Darrow Road in Hudson. Troopers attempted to stop Edwards, but he did not comply, and a pursuit ensued, OSHP said.
As the pursuit reached Terex Road, Edwards failed to stop at a red light, resulting in a serious crash that left multiple people injured, OSHP said.
Samantha Hicks and her daughter were among those caught in the collision.
"Watched it all play out in front of us [and it] was wild," she said. "We heard the gunshots but didn't realize what it was."
Edwards then exited the vehicle and fled the area on foot before allegedly firing at the trooper who was pursuing him, OSHP said. The trooper returned fire, and Edwards fled into nearby woods.
A perimeter was established to locate him.
Around 8:25 p.m., troopers found Edwards driving a silver Chrysler Town & Country that he had carjacked and once again attempted to stop him. Edwards, again, failed to stop, and a second pursuit began, OSHP said.
Highland Throwbacks shared a video with News 5, showing Tuesday evening's pursuit going through the Fox Den Golf Course in Stow.
Logan Congrove and Joe Messina were among those on the course when the minivan came barreling through.
"It was coming right at us, and my girlfriend was driving the cart, and I was like, 'You got to move over,'" Congrove explained. "I thought he was either going to [be] flattened either by my cart or Joe’s."
"We got extremely lucky, that's for sure," Messina added. "Glad we were able to get out of the way and come out unscathed."
Michael Burrows lives next to the golf course and heard the chase as it made its way through his yard.
"I heard these sirens and sounded like they were in my yard," he said. "Well, they were in my yard."
The chase ended near Saybrooke Boulevard and Bunker Lane when investigators said Edwards crashed into a Summit Metro Parks police cruiser, causing it to roll over.
The officer in the cruiser saw the vehicle approaching during the pursuit and decided to jump out before it was overturned and totaled, Summit Metro Parks said. Body-worn camera shows only eight seconds passed between when that officer jumped out of his car and when Edwards hit the cruiser.
OSHP said the officer sustained minor injuries.
Edwards then attempted to run but was captured by Stow police officers and Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers.
No other police officers were hurt.
The people injured in the earlier crash are expected to recover, according to investigators.
Several golfers at Fox Den Golf Course watched the second pursuit unfold.
Ben Hyle said he couldn't believe what was unfolding — describing it as "unreal."
"He turned into the parking lot, and I thought it was gonna be over. I thought he was gonna surrender or something, and then he just ripped it right through. That’s when I picked up my phone and started recording.”
Hyle said the chase happened just yards away as he was preparing to finish his game with his buddies.
"We were actually on the 18th hole, so we were right by the street. I heard all the commotion coming up, and then I saw the van come down the road with six or eight cruisers. I was like, ‘Holy cow!’”
Hyle joked that despite witnessing the dramatic police chase, he was about to birdie, but the police told all golfers they must clear the course for safety reasons.
Throughout the evening, multiple News 5 viewers reached out to us, saying they saw numerous law enforcement agencies in that area.
Alleged stabbing in Canton
According to a report from the Canton police Department, officers responded to a home in the 1500 block of 15th Street SW on Tuesday around 6 a.m. for a call about a 33-year-old woman who had been stabbed by her boyfriend.
When officers arrived, they found the woman on the home's second floor bleeding from apparent stab wounds, the report stated. Officers administered first aid by applying a tourniquet to her right arm, where she had a "large knife protruding through the limb."
Officers searched the home and found blood and a second knife in a nearby room as well as a blood trail that led from the basement to the garage and into the driveway. The report states officers believe the blood trail belonged to the assailant and ended in the driveway where a car had previously been.
The woman was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Police later identified Edwards as the suspect in the stabbing. The report also states that while on scene, "a male's voice came through a Ring camera on the front door, and stated he wanted to kill her and tried to do so. The male identified himself as a Julius Edwards. At this time Julius believes he did kill her."
