Police arresting men
ID: MRC-01-0013
Format: SD
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WS POV Police force chasing car and arresting men / Medina, Ohio, USA<br /><br />2 hurt in police pursuit;,Short chase in Medina sends officer, alleged driver of stolen car to hospital. Suspect is facing felonies BYLINE: Craig Webb Beacon Journal staff writer,The chase lasted all of three minutes and spanned just a few miles, but when it was over, a Medina police officer and a Warrensville Heights man were in the emergency room, and two cruisers and a stolen car were crumpled. The injuries were minor, but the short chase had its share of harrowing moments for both the participants and the unwitting motorists in the path of the fast-moving caravan. The incident unfolded shortly before 1 a.m. Tuesday, when a Medina officer checked the licence plate number of a 1986 Mercury Cougar and discovered that the car was reported stolen in Bedford Heights. With two other Medina police cars following close behind, Officer Ed Kinney tried to stop the car on West Liberty Street, near Branch Road. When Kinney started to walk toward the car, the driver, Charles Compton, 22, sped off, police said. That prompted a circular chase along Branch Road, Abbeyville Road and eventually back onto West Liberty Street, where officers unsuccessfully tried to block the fleeing car's path. The chase, which reached a top speed of 50 mph, eventually ended at a Stop-N-Go gas station on West Liberty when police once again attempted to block the suspect's car. This time, Compton struck one of the cruisers before spinning out in the gas station's parking lot, police said. As the cruisers surrounded the car, Compton drove into a second police car and then got stuck over a large rock, police said. With that, Medina Police Lt. Bob Starcher said, the chase ended.,Compton and Sgt. George Horton were taken to Medina General Hospital to be treated for minor injuries. Compton had a cut on his head and Horton injured his shoulder. Compton is in the Medina County Jail, awaiting his arraignment today in Medina Municipal Court on felony charges of receiving stolen property and failure to comply with the order of a police officer. Since it was evident that the fleeing motorist posed a threat to the officers and other motorists, Starcher said, the chase was within department guidelines. "Pursuits are one of the most dangerous things we do," he said. "The officers did a textbook job."

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