YOUNGSTOWN Cop cleared in crash while pursuing car

The other driver faces a host of charges.
YOUNGSTOWN -- A police officer whose cruiser struck the rear of an automobile he was pursuing has been declared not at fault.
Detective Sgt. Zaida Miranda said the driver of the car that officer Robert Lodwick and another officer were trying to stop repeatedly sped away and stopped abruptly in an apparent attempt to elude police or cause a crash.
Miranda reviewed the crash, which occurred around 7:12 p.m. Thursday near the intersection of Mercer and Plum streets on the city's South Side and damaged the front bumper of Lodwick's cruiser, car 203.
What happened: The equipment damage report says Lodwick, who had activated his cruiser's lights and siren, was in pursuit of a red 1984 Oldsmobile when the driver of that car sped off, then slammed on the brakes for the fourth or fifth time. That finally caused Lodwick's cruiser to strike the rear of the car, the report says.
The cruiser sustained $843 worth of damages.
After a foot chase, the driver of the Oldsmobile was arrested and charged with fleeing and eluding, reckless operation, criminal damaging, trafficking in cocaine, no seat belt, driving under suspension and loud music.
The driver also had five arrest warrants, three from Youngstown Municipal Court, one from Liberty and one from Trumbull County.