By Police1 Staff
STRONGSVILLE, Ohio — Police fatally shot a felon who attempted to flee by ramming police cruisers.
Police initiated the stop on Roy Evans Jr. March 7 for driving without his lights on. His girlfriend and three children were also in the van, WKYC reported.
Evans fled and led police on a 14-minute pursuit.
According to Fox 8 Cleveland, shortly before the pursuit ended, an officer said “If no one bails, we’re just doing a felony call out. We’re not charging up on the car.”
When police deployed spike strips to stop Evans’ van, an officer can be heard radioing that Evans was “ramming police cars,” WKYC reported.
Officers told Evans to show his hands three times before opening fire. Investigators did not find a weapon in the vehicle. According to WKYC, a report said Evans may have reached down to light a cigarette and his hands could have been out of police view.
Amanda Pauley, Evans’ girlfriend, was handcuffed and put in the cruiser with the three children.
Pauley told Fox 8 Evans was released from prison last fall and had a long criminal record. She said she told him to pull over but he didn’t want to return to prison.
A state investigation is ongoing.