AVON, Ohio — A high-end heist triggered a multi-county chase that ended with several crashes, running suspects and an ongoing search.
Multiple law enforcement agencies closed down SR-611 at the I-90 exit and entrance ramps in Lorain County on Thursday morning as part of a stolen vehicle investigation involving several high-end vehicles. The road has since reopened.
Investigators said it started when a group of thieves stole several vehicles from a car dealership in Perkins Township in Erie County.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP) encountered the five speeding vehicles in Lorain County. The drivers of the cars, all Dodge and Chevy models, were wearing masks. Some had dealership license plates and others did not have any license plates.
The vehicles sped off when they noticed troopers following them.
“The way that they’re driving, all the drivers have masks, no plates on them, they’re probably stolen,” one trooper said on the radio.
The vehicles exited the highway at 611, where one hit unrelated cars waiting in traffic and another hit a sheriff's deputy cruiser.
The deputy inside the cruiser was treated for minor injuries at a local hospital and released. The department wished the deputy a speedy recovery in a Facebook post.
“Traffic was stopped in both lanes on the ramp and one of the suspect vehicles actually drove in-between the vehicles, striking them as he was trying to escape the traffic stop,” said OSHP Post 18 Commander Lt. Tim Hoffman. “Thankfully no one was seriously injured."
The drivers involved in the crashes were taken into custody. Hoffman said one was a 15-year-old boy and the other was a 21-year-old man. Both are facing charges.
The drivers from two other cars involved in the pursuit abandoned their vehicles down the road and ran.
Investigators used drones and K-9 units to search for the drivers once they fled the vehicles.
They are still searching for the drivers, as well as the occupants in another vehicle that has not been found.
That car is described as a gray 2023 Chevy Camaro ZL1 with a black convertible top. Surrounding agencies and members of the public are asked to lookout for the stolen vehicle.
OSHP said that three of the four vehicles recovered in Avon were taken from the dealership in Perkins Township. They are processing the fourth vehicle.
Photos from a News 5 photographer at the scene showed cruisers from OSHP, the Avon Police Department, and the Lorain County Sheriff's Office on SR-611 near I-90 after the area was shut down.
Another photo from our photographer shows one of the vehicles smashed up against a deputy's cruiser.
A red Chevy Camaro was towed from the scene.
If you have information that could help with the investigation or spot the missing Chevy Camaro, reach out to OSHP at 216-265-1677 or dial #677 from your mobile phone.
