‘Can’t keep living like this’: Elyria man frustrated after police pursuit ends with crash into his home
ELYRIA, Ohio (WJW) – An Elyria homeowner is frustrated beyond measure after his home was hit by a car for the fourth time in 30 years.
Dennis Campanalie remembers waking up around 2:30 a.m., just moments before a speeding car crashed into his truck, car, preventative landscape and home.
“All of the sudden I heard a crash,” Campanalie said. “It was our house; I knew exactly what it was.”
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Before the crash, an Elyria Patrolman heard screeching tires near East Broad Street and South Abbe Road. The officer found a red Dodge vehicle at the Speedway gas station and approached to question.
The driver eventually began to flee from the officer, who was still partially in the vehicle.
The driver fled on South Abbe Road at a high rate of speed, eventually crashing into the home on Chestnut Ridge Road., a residence that had previously been wrecked into three other times.
Campanalie said he intentionally parked his Toyota truck horizontally in the driveway for an added layer of protection against crashes. He also added boulders in the landscape and the city of Elyria also installed a guard rail as a preventative measure.
“I had it parked sideways in the driveway because I did that just because I saw it,” he said. “If anybody did come in the driveway, they’d have to enter first and I was right. They did.”
When police arrived at the scene of the crash, they found no driver behind the wheel. The driver, later identified as 27-year-old Detroit native Dorain Williams, fled on foot, running several blocks away to Carol Lane, where he barricaded himself inside. Neighbors in the area told Fox 8 he lives at the residence.
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Police surrounded the area before Williams got in a vehicle inside the residence and drove it through the garage door at officers. Officers then opened fire, hitting Williams, stopping the car.
Williams was arrested and rendered aid before being taken to a hospital for treatment. He was then released and transported to the Lorain County Sheriff’s Office.
The officer that was dragged was also treated at an area hospital for minor injuries to his arm and knee.
All officers that fired their duty weapon will be on paid leave until further notice and the Lorain Police Department will investigate the incidents further.
Campanalie is at his wits end as for how to prevent another crash at his home.
“We’re assessing our options at this point,” he said. “I can’t keep living like this.”
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