Local officers employed a PIT maneuver to end a vehicle pursuit that saw a driver traveling the wrong way on Interstate 90, with two loaded guns later found inside the car. The chase is the latest in a string of high-speed pursuits across Cleveland’s western suburbs that have repeatedly ended with officers forcing vehicles to a stop using the aggressive tactic.
Details of the pursuit, including the wrong-way driving on I-90 and the discovery of the two loaded firearms, were reported by FOX 8 News. It’s the kind of outcome that has become familiar to police departments along the I-90 corridor west of Cleveland, where officers have turned to the Pursuit Intervention Technique, or PIT maneuver, several times in recent months to bring fleeing drivers to a stop.
A Pattern of PIT Maneuvers West of Cleveland
Just two weeks ago, a pursuit that began in Lakewood ended with a PIT maneuver in Westlake. According to cleveland19.com, Westlake police assisted Lakewood officers in the chase on Oct. 16 at approximately 1:45 a.m. Rocky River and Westlake units took over pursuit of a 2005 Acura as it exited the highway at Clague Road, and a Westlake officer ultimately ended the chase on Detroit Road using a PIT maneuver.
The driver, a 24-year-old North Olmsted man, was taken into custody without further incident and charged with felony failure to comply and reckless operation, the station’s report states. A separate account from cleveland.com adds that the pursuit began after Lakewood officers spotted a gray sedan with a loud exhaust traveling westbound on I-90 toward Westlake, as detailed in a report by cleveland.com.
Westlake’s Repeated Use of the Tactic
This was not the first time this year Westlake officers reached for the PIT maneuver. In July, Westlake police used the tactic to stop a driver on I-90 after the vehicle struck a median wall, lost a tire and nearly collided with several other motorists, per cleveland19.com’s dashcam report on the incident. The driver, a 52-year-old Lagrange woman, was taken to a hospital for evaluation and was charged with driving under suspension, felony failure to comply and traffic offenses…