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Man arrested after dangling from sign on I-77 overpass, assaulting girlfriend and hotel clerk

Posted at 3:19 PM, May 03, 2018
and last updated 2018-05-03 15:33:33-04

A 21-year-old man was arrested Thursday morning after he allegedly assaulted his girlfriend and a hotel clerk, crashed his car, and then dangled off an I-77 overpass, causing police to have to shut down the highway.

Makavelli V. Woodall was charged with felonious assault, child endangering and domestic violence. Authorities said additional charges are pending the outcome of the investigation.

According to the Summit County Sheriff's Office, Woodall and his girlfriend got into an altercation at the Super 8 hotel, 1605 Corporate Woods Parkway, around 1:30 a.m.

When his girlfriend took their 1-year-old son to the front desk for help, Woodall approached her and the clerk and assaulted them both, police said. 

The employee called 911, but Woodall grabbed his son and left. After police and firefighters arrived, Woodall's girlfriend and the employee were transported to a nearby hospital for treatment.

According to police, Woodall then drove to a relative's house, dropped the child off and fled the area, only to crash his car in a ditch near Giant Eagle in the city of Green.

Woodall then ran off towards I-77, climbed a nearby culvert and headed to the bridge over Massillon Road, police said. Authorities located him, but Woodall climbed a sign bracket on the overpass over Massillon Road. 

It took police around 90 minutes for them to talk him down from the signpost. During that time, both the northbound and southbound lanes of I-77 were shut down while police negotiated with Woodall.

Eventually, Woodall was taken into custody, charged and then transported to the Summit County Jail.