An Akron man has pleaded guilty to charges stemming from a September 2021 crash that sent four police officers to the hospital after his car slammed into two parked cruisers on East Archwood Avenue. Jjamall Williams admitted to two counts of vehicular assault and one count of driving under suspension for the collision, which left one officer with severe injuries.
According to Cleveland 19 News, the four officers were assisting with a disabled vehicle in the 1000 block of East Archwood Avenue when Williams struck them. Two officers were standing outside a cruiser while two others sat inside one when Williams, driving westbound on East Archwood Avenue, hit the back of one of the parked police vehicles.
The impact pushed that cruiser into a second police cruiser and struck one of the officers who was standing outside, the outlet reported. All four officers were treated at Summa Health Akron City Hospital, with one suffering severe injuries, per the station's earlier reporting on the case.
Driver Had Two Open Warrants at the Time
Police said Williams also had two outstanding warrants for driving under suspension at the time of the crash. A separate account of the incident indicates the driver of a Hyundai Sonata was also hurt in the collision, and that two of the four injured officers were out of work for several months while they recovered, according to a report from Yahoo News.
That same report states that Judge Tammy O'Brien sentenced Williams to six years in prison and suspended his driver's license for five years. However, the station's more recent account states that Williams is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 19 at 1:30 p.m. The two reports conflict on whether sentencing has already occurred or remains pending, and the dossier does not resolve which account reflects the current status of the case.
How Ohio Law Treats Vehicular Assault Charges
Under Ohio law, aggravated vehicular assault is generally classified as a third-degree felony, though it can be elevated to a second-degree felony under certain circumstances, including when the offender was driving under a suspension described in the statute, per the Ohio Revised Code.
Roadside Crashes Remain a Statewide Concern
The Akron case lands amid a broader pattern of roadside crash risk across Ohio. The state recorded 730 crashes involving roadside vehicles through mid-October, with 93 people killed or seriously injured, according to a report from Yahoo News. Of those, 75 involved Ohio Department of Transportation crews, vehicles or equipment, while 11 involved Ohio State Highway Patrol officers, the same report noted. Ohio saw a spike to 903 such crashes in 2025, the outlet reported.
