As reported by WKYC Studios, a man accused of striking two Bedford police cruisers before leading officers on a high-speed pursuit has been indicted by a Cuyahoga County grand jury.
Valeriy Frunza faces a charge of failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer, according to Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court records. He is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday, Sept. 8.
The charge stems from an incident that began around 1:11 a.m. Aug. 25, when Bedford police responded to 698 Broadway Avenue for a report of a man asleep behind the wheel of a vehicle.
Police said officers found Frunza sleeping in a running Audi A7 displaying fictitious license plates. After officers woke him, he allegedly drove into one marked police cruiser and then reversed into a second before fleeing.
The resulting pursuit traveled through multiple jurisdictions and exceeded 125 mph as it entered Portage County. Ravenna police deployed stop sticks before Bedford officers used a PIT maneuver to bring the vehicle to a stop.
Police said Frunza then left the vehicle, crossed a guardrail and fled down a ravine into a heavily wooded area. Officers from several agencies searched for him with assistance from the Ohio State Highway Patrol Aviation Unit.
Frunza was eventually located and taken into custody. Police said he was treated for injuries sustained after falling down the ravine and transported to Cleveland Clinic Marymount Hospital.
He was previously given a $50,000 bond and was being held in the Cuyahoga County Jail.
Bedford police credited the Ravenna Police Department, Portage County Sheriff’s Office and Ohio State Highway Patrol with assisting in the pursuit and apprehension.
