SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP, Ohio — The Springfield Police Department released body camera video showing a man injuring officers while fleeing in a semi-truck, News 5 Cleveland reported.
The Feb. 28 incident began when officers responded to a disturbance report after a man got into a verbal altercation with an IHOP employee. Officers eventually located the man inside a semi-truck in a Walmart parking lot.
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The man refused to follow officers’ instructions to get out of the truck, police said. Video shows officers stepping onto the truck’s running board in an effort to pull the man from the vehicle.
As officers attempted to get him out, the man began to drive away, causing the officers to fall from the truck. Two of the officers sustained injuries, including one who broke his leg, according to the report.
Officers initially pursued the suspect as he fled in the truck, but ultimately called off the pursuit due to safety concerns. The man eventually connected a trailer to the rig before encountering Akron Police officers and Summit County Sheriff’s Office deputies.
The suspect hit two cruisers as well as two other vehicles during the encounter. Officers then fired shots, striking the man.
The suspect was transported to a hospital. He has since been charged with aggravated menacing, obstruction of official business, willful fleeing and felonious assault on a police officer, according to the report.
