10-year-old leads police on high speed chase

MILAN — A 10-year-old boy in a stolen car led police on a high-speed chase from Westlake to near Milan on Thursday before driving into a ditch. Westlake police tried pulling over the car, which was reported stolen in Cleveland, as it traveled west on Interstate 90. Police began pursuing the vehicle at about 9:30 a.m. after the boy driver ignored their commands to pull over, according to a news release. The vehicle belonged to the boy's parents, according to Erie County Prosecutor Kevin Baxter.The Ohio State Highway Patrol joined the chase as the boy got onto the Ohio Turnpike from I-90. The pursuit reached speeds of more than 100 mph before troopers used a rolling roadblock, with several pursuit vehicle lining up alongside the speeding car, forcing the boy to slow down.A state trooper made eye contact with the boy and directed him to pull over, but he allegedly refused, according to the release.Troopers set stop-sticks on the road, but the boy drove into a ditch in the Milan area, reportedly to avoid flattening the car's tires. Troopers blocked the car in the ditch, ending the pursuit.The boy was arrested and taken to Fisher Titus Medical Center for evaluation. When the boy is released from the hospital, he will be placed in the custody of the Erie County Children Services.No one was injured during the pursuit, but one patrol car and the car in pursuit received nonfunctional damage.A WEWS-TV 5 Cleveland news reporter's Twitter feed shows the aftermath of the accident. Baxter said the case is "very strange.""I've been here for a long time and this is the first time I've seen a 10-year-old on a high-speed chase," he said. "I'm just so glad no one was hurt."Erie County will contact the Cuyahoga County prosecutor to see if they intend to press charges against the boy. If they do, any charges Erie County wishes to press will be transferred to Cuyahoga County's jurisdiction, Baxter said. Reach reporter Michael Harrington at michaelharrington@sanduskyregister.com, follow the Register at Facebook.com/SanduskyRegisterA Twitter feed shows the aftermath of a high-speed chase on the Ohio Turnpike with a 10-year-old driver eluding police a state Patrol troopers from Westlake to near Milan on Thursday.