A Solon man trying to sell his 2015 Chevrolet Impala on Facebook Marketplace ended up staring down a loaded gun instead of collecting a payment, and the fallout stretched from a quiet apartment complex to a fiery chase on Interstate 480 that topped 115 mph. Two Cleveland men are now facing charges after police say the botched sale turned into an armed robbery, a stolen car, and a crash that hurt a bystander.
According to Cleveland.com, the 37-year-old Solon seller had listed his Impala on Facebook Marketplace and arranged to meet a buyer at the Liberty Hills Apartments on Hamilton Court around 7 p.m. last Saturday. As reported by WKYC, the suspects had negotiated the deal by phone before arriving, taking the Impala for a test drive and then drawing a handgun during a discussion over the vehicle title.
Police say a 19-year-old Cleveland man pointed the gun during the robbery, and the pair took both the car and its title without paying, according to the same account. A gun was also pointed at the seller's 39-year-old friend, though neither man was physically harmed during the confrontation itself, per Cleveland.com.
Chase Reaches 115 MPH Before Crash on I-480
Solon police soon spotted the stolen silver Impala headed northbound on SOM Center Road, and officers attempted to stop the car near Solon Road. Behind the wheel was 18-year-old Martelle Reed, who sped away onto U.S. Route 422 rather than pulling over, according to the station's report.
The pursuit continued onto Interstate 480, with the Impala reaching speeds over 115 mph before it crashed into two other vehicles near the Northfield Road overpass. A 40-year-old Brook Park woman driving one of those cars was taken to a hospital for treatment, the same account notes.
Reed was treated at an area hospital before being released and booked into the Solon jail on charges of aggravated robbery, fleeing and eluding, vehicular assault, and traffic offenses, with bond set at $100,000. The 19-year-old Cleveland man who allegedly pointed the gun was hospitalized at Hillcrest Hospital with serious injuries and is expected to survive; per Cleveland.com, he is expected to face charges of aggravated robbery and weapons offenses once he is released. Police reported finding a loaded semi-automatic pistol inside the stolen Impala.
What the Charges Could Mean in Court
Under Ohio Revised Code § 2911.01, aggravated robbery is a first-degree felony carrying a statutory prison term of 3 to 11 years and fines of up to $20,000, with mandatory consecutive prison time if a firearm specification is proven. Ohio Revised Code § 2921.331 elevates fleeing or eluding a police officer to a third- or fourth-degree felony when it follows a felony or creates a substantial risk of physical harm, which covers the circumstances of Reed's alleged flight. Separately, Ohio Revised Code § 2903.08 makes vehicular assault a felony when reckless driving or fleeing law enforcement results in serious physical harm to another person, the standard cited in the charge tied to the Brook Park woman's injuries.
A Familiar and Dangerous Pattern for Solon Police
This is not the first time a Solon police pursuit of a stolen vehicle has ended in tragedy or chaos. In December 2021, WKYC reported that a high-speed Solon chase of a car stolen at gunpoint ended in a multi-vehicle crash on Solon Road that killed an 85-year-old passenger. Then in April 2023, WKYC reported that another Solon police chase of a stolen vehicle ended in a crash near Roxbury Elementary School, followed by an officer-involved shooting after a 16-year-old suspect displayed a loaded gun — an incident that triggered a brief school lockdown before the teen surrendered uninjured.
Part of a Wider Marketplace Robbery Problem
The Solon case also fits into a broader regional pattern of violence tied to online vehicle sales. Hoodline reported earlier this month that a Cuyahoga County grand jury indicted three men on 117 felony counts for running a multi-year Facebook Marketplace theft ring that stole at least 55 vehicles and ATVs across Greater Cleveland, with prosecutors finding that suspects often set up fake profiles and requested title checks to set up robberies. WHIO reported in January that law enforcement agencies across Ohio issued public warnings after a statewide uptick in gunpoint robberies tied to Facebook Marketplace sales of cars, electronics, and luxury goods.
To help prevent these ambushes, law enforcement agencies in Cuyahoga County, including the Parma Police Department and Cleveland Police Department, maintain designated 24/7 video-monitored Safe Exchange Zones at police stations for online transactions. Officials in Northeast Ohio continue to urge residents to meet buyers and sellers in police parking lots rather than private residential locations like apartment complexes.
Solon, an eastern Cuyahoga County suburb of roughly 24,262 residents situated about 18 miles southeast of Cleveland, sits along major commuter routes including SOM Center Road, U.S. Route 422, and Interstate 480 — the same corridors that turned Saturday's robbery into a high-speed chase within minutes. It remains unclear whether the 19-year-old suspect has been formally arraigned alongside Reed, and whether Solon police will face renewed scrutiny over pursuit protocols given the department's history with high-speed chases in residential areas.
-4.webp?w=160&h=400&fit=crop&crop=edges)
