A man’s attempt to escape from Columbus police ended in a fatal car crash in South Linden on Wednesday evening.
Columbus police were dispatched to the area of East 23rd and Gladstone Avenue around 6:21 p.m. to arrest a man wanted for aggravated assault resulting from a knife attack, police spokesman Sergeant Joe Albert said. When officers arrived, they found the suspect in a silver Chevrolet Impala, he said.
According to Albert, officers attempted to stop traffic, but the suspect fled and a chase ensued.
The suspect drove into a dead end street, then backed up and rammed a patrol car with the Impala, Albert said.
The suspect fled again and police continued the pursuit. A short time later, according to Albert, the suspect somehow lost control of the car and crashed into a tree at a high rate of speed at the corner of East 22nd and Medina Avenue.
The man suffered “serious injuries,” Albert said. He was taken to Ohio State University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 7:06 p.m. His identity was not released Wednesday evening pending notification of his family.
The officers in the patrol car that was involved in the chase and was rammed by the suspect were not injured, Albert said.
Columbus police asked the Ohio State Highway Patrol to investigate the fatal crash. Additional information was not immediately available Wednesday evening.
@ShahidMeighan
This article originally appeared in The Columbus Dispatch: Suspect fleeing Columbus police dies after crashing his car into a tree
