Summary

While a suspected burglar and car thief recovers in a Cleveland hospital, officers from three agencies are compiling a list of criminal charges against the man they say triggered the high-speed pursuit that ended after he collided with a delivery truck. The daytime chase Tuesday, which started in Carlisle Township and ended with a dramatic crash in Westlake, saw officers racing after 19-year-old Justin McFadden of Vermilion as other motorists went about in daily travels. Lorain County Sheriff’s Lt. Luis Silva said it was not the ideal way to begin a quiet Tuesday afternoon. “It was a very dangerous situation, and he will likely face multiple charges from the sheriff’s office,” Silva said. So far, McFadden, who is listed in critical condition at MetroHealth Medical Center, faces charges of felonious assault and possession of criminal tools from Westlake police as well as charges of felonious assault, felony fleeing and eluding from North Ridgeville Police. Lorain County Sheriff’s detectives are investigating the case, but Silva said they are looking into charges of burglary and theft of a vehicle. McFadden also could face a charge of assault on a police officer because of a slight struggle he had with deputies as he tried to get away, Silva said. The incident began around 12:30 p.m. after deputies received a burglary complaint from a Robson Road homeowner. A deputy went to the home to investigate, and Lt. Silva said he ended up in a foot chase with McFadden that took the duo into a gas station a few hundred yards away. That’s where McFadden stole the minivan he eventually crashed, police said.Louis Detore, 30, of Elyria, had just finished pumping gas into the tank of his mother’s green 1998 Dodge Caravan and was inside the station to pay when he noticed someone climbing into the driver’s side of the vehicle. After realizing his mother, 55-year-old Denise Mitchell, had walked next door to get ice cream, he knew nobody was playing a trick on him. “I was confused,” he said. “By the time I ran outside, he was long gone.” Footage from the dashboard camera of a North Ridgeville police cruiser shows the intensity of the situation officers faced when they picked up the pursuit near the 34000 block of Center Ridge Road. In the video, McFadden is seen barely maneuvering a sharp turn as he comes barreling out of a parking lot. The vehicle’s rear bumper is dangling as he accelerates to about 80 mph, police said. On the video, other drivers can been seen darting to the right as the van barrels up to them. Suddenly, from the right side of the screen, an officer is seen trying to use stop sticks to bring the chase to an end. But the minivan is moving too fast, and the sticks bounce off a side panel. At one point on the video, a motorcyclist sees the pursuit coming toward him and literally jumps off his bike in an effort to get out of the minivan’s path. Seconds later, it’s all over as the speeding vehicle careens into the side of a delivery truck, toppling the truck on its side. The delivery truck driver walks away with the help of police, and he is heard on the video asking police: “What the hell just happened?”