Cuyahoga Falls high-speed chase ends when driver runs out of gas

CUYAHOGA FALLS, Ohio - An Akron man was arrested after police say he led officers of a high-speed chase with two children in the car.

The chase started just before 11 p.m. Monday on state Route 8 in Cuyahoga Falls when an officer clocked an SUV going 107 mph in a 55 mph-zone, police said.

The officers tried to stop the 2010 Chevrolet Traverse near Howe Road, but the driver continued to flee. Cuyahoga Falls police officers pursued the vehicle southbound on SR 8 into the city of Akron, according to police.

With Akron police joining the chase, Cuyahoga Falls police said the driver finally stopped at SR 8 and Howe Road when he ran out of gas. The driver, 38-year-old Bobby L. Kennedy, of Akron, ran from the car until he was apprehended by an Akron police K-9, the Cuyahoga Falls Police Department said.

Kennedy was taken to Akron City Hospital for an injury to his arm caused when the K-9 caught up with him. Cuyahoga Falls police said Kennedy had both drugs and alcohol in his system, while driving with a 5-year-old and a 15-year-old in the car. He’s charged with speeding, operating a vehicle under the influence, driving under suspension, fleeing and eluding police and two counts of child endangering.

While the pursuit lasted about a half an hour, police said there were no other accidents or damage reported. Speeds during the chase were between 80 and 100 mph on the freeway and Akron streets.