A Fourth of July traffic jam on Hilliard Boulevard in Westlake reportedly shifted from routine post-fireworks gridlock to a frightening scene when a man began threatening other drivers and allegedly grabbed a 1-year-old child, according to police.
Officers say witnesses flagged them down late Saturday as cars crawled away from the city’s fireworks display. By the end of the encounter, a 34-year-old Ravenna man was in handcuffs, and a toddler had been pulled from his arms and returned to relatives.
What police say happened
Per Cleveland.com, the backup formed on Hilliard Boulevard around 11:15 p.m. on July 4, as crowds poured out of the nearby fireworks show. Westlake and Rocky River officers stopped the man’s vehicle after he pulled onto the roadway during the jam.
Witnesses told police the driver was showing other motorists an ankle monitor, shouting that he wanted to get to a party and claiming he had a gun, Cleveland.com reported. Officers say they did not find a firearm in the vehicle but did recover open bottles of Fireball whiskey…