Local

Driver flees Boardman police, crashes into trailer on Southern Boulevard

By Kelcey Norris Mahoning Matters

December 28, 2023 3:47 PM

Courtesy: McClatchy Co. Courtesy: McClatchy Co.

A driver who evaded a police officer pulling him over crashed into a trailer park, according to reports from the Boardman Police Department.

Even after crashing, the driver fled on foot.

Where did the incident reportedly start?

The driver of a gray Kia Optima was pulled over on Dec. 21 at 11 p.m. for a broken left rear tail light on Southern Boulevard.

Reports say a Boardman police officer initiated the stop, exited his vehicle and approached the passenger side window of the 2016 Kia.

When did the chase happen?

This was when the 19-year-old driver, the only occupant in the car, “rapidly accelerated and fled the scene of the stop, peeling his tires,” according to the first officer’s report.

The driver’s name was redacted in police reports.

According to the report, the driver made a U-turn and headed south on Southern Boulevard, driving between 80 and 90 miles per hour.

As the first officer tried to catch up to the Kia Optima, two more officers spotted it near the intersection of Southern and Washington Boulevards.

Reports say these two officers started to chase the Kia Optima, but “lost sight of the suspect vehicle southbound on Southern Boulevard approaching Western Reserve [Road].”

The report said the driver failed to stop at multiple stop signs and intersections during the pursuit.

Officers reported that the pursuit lasted approximately 30 seconds and the suspect driver was seen driving over 80 miles per hour, bypassing the stop sign on McClurg Road.

The officers lost sight of the vehicle until it crashed into a trailer park.

The Kia Optima was found crashed into an occupied trailer on Maplecroft Road, off Southern Boulevard. Reports stated the driver of the Kia Optima fled the crash, and officers didn’t know in what direction he went.

Boardman and Beaver Township police officers started to search the area, calling Ohio State Highway Patrol to take over the crash scene.

The officers weren’t able to find the suspect, but reports say they will be charged with the following: