Last week in Lorain, a series of robberies culminated in a high-speed crash that left the suspected perpetrator dead and several other individuals injured. Authorities reported that 41-year-old Henry Cobb embarked on what they characterized as a "violent crime spree" across the city, committing aggravated robbery and an attempted kidnapping, before his fatal accident. The series of events began late Wednesday night and ended tragically near the intersection where the initial crimes occurred.
According to WKYC, the spree started at the Valero Gas Station on Oberlin Avenue around 9:45 p.m. Cobb approached a woman filling up her gas and attempted forcibly to enter her vehicle, where her 12-year-old daughter was sitting. The woman resisted and fought back, prompting Cobb to flee after several bystanders came to her aid.
Moments later, across the street at the Raceway Gas Station, Cobb confronted another woman, feigning concern for a flat tire to gain access to her SUV. As reported by Cleveland19, when the woman did not exit her vehicle, Cobb "punched her window," threatened her, and subsequently fled in her stolen vehicle after she fell and surrendered her keys.
The crime spree continued at a 7-Eleven on Leavitt Road, where Cobb, brandishing a gun on his hip, threatened an employee and took the entire cash register. The Lorain Police Department spotted Cobb's erratic driving heading eastbound on Meister Road shortly thereafter. The high-speed pursuit ended with Cobb's stolen SUV crashing into two other vehicles and catching fire at the intersection of Meister Road and Oberlin Avenue, near the first two robberies, according to Cleveland19.
Despite attempts by first responders to rescue him, Cobb was pronounced dead at the scene. The crash resulted in injuries to several bystanders, with at least two transported to University Hospitals Elyria Medical Center for treatment. The extent of their injuries has not been disclosed. The Lorain Police Criminal Investigations Bureau continues to investigate the events of last Wednesday, and they are urging anyone with further information to come forward.
