Man injured, arrested after single-car crash, standoff with Highway Patrol

A man was arrested and hospitalized in Eaton Township after allegedly crashing his car while intoxicated and getting into a standoff with responding State Highway Patrol troopers. Highway Patrol Lt. Ray Santiago said he could not yet release the identity of the man on Thursday afternoon, but said that he was arrested and taken to University Hospitals Elyria Medical Center for his injuries, some of which were self-inflicted. Santiago said the incident began just after 2 p.m. Thursday, when the Highway Patrol's Medina dispatch center received a call from a homeowner in Eaton Township about a single vehicle crash "involving what they believed to be an impaired driver." A dark-colored sedan went off the road and into a ditch off of Cooley Road just east of Island Road in the township. "Our first trooper arrived on scene and she was immediately met by the driver who was standing near the vehicle and acting really erratic," Santiago said. "(He was) yelling out some suicidal statements." The trooper called for backup, and as additional troopers arrived Santiago said that the driver became increasingly agitated. They were also eventually joined by deputies from the Lorain County Sheriff's Office. "He was stating that he would harm himself and anyone else that would not leave the area," Santiago said. At around 2:40 p.m. Santiago said that the man got back in his vehicle and climbed into the back seat, making it hard for law enforcement to track his movements and leading the Sheriff's deputies to deploy drones. Even with the drones, Santiago said, troopers could not tell whether the man was armed, but they could see him "doing some self harm." Santiago said that at times during the standoff the man was banging his head on things inside the car like the steering wheel and windows. At 3:15 p.m. the man exited the car and again started yelling at troopers and deputies, so law enforcement moved in. "The Sheriff's Office deployed a K-9 unit during that time and the suspect kind of lunged toward the dog, at which time the dog did bite the suspect on the arm," Santiago said. "The suspect began assaulting the K-9, he was throwing some kicks and some punches, and during that time troopers and deputies were able to physically subdue (the man) and take him into custody." Santiago said that the man appeared to be intoxicated throughout the incident. After he was taken into custody, Santiago said paramedics moved in to attend to the man but he continued making threats and attempting to bite deputies and troopers. The man was placed in the back of a Highway Patrol cruiser, and after calming down he agreed to be checked by paramedics and was taken to UH Elyria. As of Thursday evening, Santiago said the man would remain in the hospital for treatment of his injuries, as well as a psychological evaluation. The man also had a dog in his car during the incident, and the dog was taken to Friendship Animal Protective League in Elyria. Santiago said that the investigation was still ongoing, but the man would face "at a minimum" charges of assault on a peace officer and resisting arrest, both felonies. Contact Owen MacMillan at (440) 329-7123 or omacmillan@chroniclet.com.