Youngstown officer breaks his leg while chasing suspect

YOUNGSTOWN

A police officer sustained a broken leg while chasing a Poland man in Homestead Park.

Officer Christopher Staley’s left leg was broken when he was apprehending Jason Stiner, 34, of Country Club Avenue about 6:15 p.m. Tuesday, police said.

Police said Stiner drove through a stop sign at the corner of Mable and Gibson streets and refused to stop for officers. Police said they saw two objects thrown out of Stiner’s passenger side window – he had a passenger in the car with him at the time – while driving on East Laclede Avenue. Shortly after that, Stiner got out of the car and ran through Homestead Park, falling on top of Staley’s left leg when the officer tried to apprehend him, police said. Stiner was caught by officer Jimmy Hughes Jr.

Police said they found suspected crack cocaine in Stiner’s pocket, and that Hughes recovered the two objects thrown out of the window, finding two folded paper towels with a glass pipe in one and a used syringe and burnt spoon in the other.

Police said Stiner and his passenger – Sergio Rivera, 34, of Madison Avenue in Youngstown – accused each other of throwing the items out of the vehicle.

Rivera was charged with possession of drug abuse instruments and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Stiner was also charged with those two as well as obstructing official business, possession of drugs, failure to comply with a police order, failure to obey a traffic control device and driving under suspension.