Car crashes into a home after police chase in Ohio

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio — An Ohio man is now dealing with significant damage to his home after a police chase ended in a crash with the car lodged inside his kitchen.

It happened early on Friday morning in Cleveland Heights at South Taylor Road and Fairmount Boulevard.

John Gall said he was sleeping inside his home when a car came crashing through his brick bungalow just after midnight on Friday morning.

“There was a car in my kitchen and police with guns swarming around the house,” Gall said. “I stuck my head out the broken front window and said, ‘Please don’t shoot me, I’m the homeowner.'”

Gall said Cleveland Heights Police officers on the scene told him they were chasing the driver on South Taylor Road right before the driver crashed.

CLE HTS Scene 3.jpg — Scene of car that went inside a Cleveland Heights home at the intersection of Fairmount and South Taylor roads.

“I understand pursuits. I’m not sure I understand 85 miles an hour coming down Taylor road here,” he said.

Gall said he never saw the driver but added he witnessed the person being taken away in an ambulance.

Todd Freeman lives next door. He said car accidents at this intersection are so common that he wasn’t surprised when he came outside to see what happened.

CLE HTS Scene 5.jpg — Scene of car that went inside a Cleveland Heights home at the intersection of Fairmount and South Taylor roads.

“I was sound asleep. As soon as I heard the hit, I knew that one of the two houses had been hit by a car. I mean, I knew the sound well by now,” Freeman said.

This is not the first time Gall’s property has been damaged by accidents.

In 2012, WEWS covered a crash at his home where his truck was hit by a vehicle.

Gall said since then. He has been proactive about getting more protective guarding at the intersection to prevent damage to his home. But, Gall said, his requests to city hall have been denied.

CLE HTS Scene 6.jpg — Scene of car that went inside a Cleveland Heights home at the intersection of Fairmount and South Taylor roads.

“I talked to City Hall about it in the past, and they claim that the putting up of a guardrail, which would’ve probably prevented a majority of this, was unaesthetic and not pleasing to the neighborhood, so they rejected that,” he said. “I’m going to have to seek more drastic measures in the future, I think. I’m not sure what that will be, but they will find out.”

News 5 reached out to the city to see what it would take to get a guard rail in front of a home, and they said they would respond next week.

Daylight photos show more of the damage caused by the crash.

Image from iOS (296).jpg — A home was heavily damaged after a car crashed into it during a police chase in Cleveland Heights.

The kitchen is destroyed.

Image from iOS (297).jpg — A home was heavily damaged after a car crashed into it during a police chase in Cleveland Heights.

Cleveland Heights Police told WEWS that the crash began after an officer attempted to make a traffic stop.

The driver of the car was taken to the hospital and is in custody.

Meg Shaw at WEWS first reported this story.

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