A Timberlake police officer had just stepped out of his cruiser to handle a traffic stop when a suspected drunk driver slammed into the patrol car, destroying it and sending the officer running for safety. The officer walked away without serious injury, though the collision could easily have ended differently.
The crash happened early Sunday, with timing that varies slightly depending on the source. According to WKYC, the incident happened around 12:48 a.m., while Eastlake police told Cleveland.com the crash occurred about 12:50 a.m. near Lakeshore Boulevard and Carlton Drive. Either way, the officer had just exited the vehicle to begin the stop when the impact tore through the cruiser.
Body-Camera Video Captures the Close Call
The Timberlake Police Department posted body-camera footage to its Facebook page showing the officer outside the patrol car when the other vehicle struck it, according to a department social media post cited by WKYC. The footage shows the officer running away from the car in the moments after the collision, the station reports. In its post, the department said, per WKYC, that “God and Saint Michael” had watched over the officer that night.
The driver accused of causing the crash was identified by police as 40-year-old Terrence Johnson of Eastlake. Investigators found multiple full and empty alcoholic drinks inside his vehicle, the station's report notes. He was arrested on a charge of operating a vehicle under the influence along with other traffic offenses, police said, and was not injured in the crash. Johnson is scheduled to appear Tuesday morning in Willoughby Municipal Court.
Eastlake Responders Took Over the Scene
After the crash near Lakeshore Boulevard and Carlton Drive, first responders from the Eastlake Police Department and Eastlake Fire & Rescue secured the scene, arrested the driver and attended to the Timberlake officer, according to News 5 Cleveland. The Eastlake Police Department is handling the investigation into the crash.
Under Ohio law, operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, a drug of abuse, or a combination of the two is prohibited, according to the Ohio Revised Code. The statute underpins the OVI charge Johnson now faces ahead of his court appearance.
