Man arraigned following South Side chase

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

A man who led state troopers and city police on a chase through the South Side early Friday is in the Mahoning County jail on $50,000 bond.

Thomas Malutic, 55, was arraigned before municipal Judge Elizabeth Kobly on a charge of fleeing and eluding. He also has a warrant from 2014 through the court for hit-and-run.

Reports said a trooper with the Ohio State Highway Patrol pulled a car Malutic was driving over for speeding on an Interstate 680 on-ramp somewhere on the South Side about 2:50 a.m. Malutic told the trooper he was going to work and stopping at his brother’s to get gas money, reports said.

The trooper walked to his cruiser to check Malutic’s information and found the warrant, reports said. Reports said he walked up to Malutic’s car and opened the door, and when he did, Malutic drove away onto Interstate 680 south.

Reports said Malutic exited the freeway at the Midlothian Boulevard exit with troopers and city police chasing him. He drove through a yard at Zedaker and West Campbell avenues and then stopped the car, jumped out and ran away, reports said.

Reports said a trooper ran after him and warned him several times to stop or he would be shot with an electronic stun gun. Malutic would not stop, so he was stunned, reports said, and then caught.

Reports said Malutic was very belligerent as he was being cuffed, swearing at police and calling them terrorists.