Deputy dragged by fleeing truck, suspect caught
SOUTH AMHERST, Ohio (WJW) — A Lorain County sheriff’s deputy somehow managed to escape serious injury early Wednesday morning when a fleeing suspect dragged the deputy with his pickup truck and punched the deputy as he was hanging onto the vehicle, authorities said.
After two more police pursuits, one on Wednesday afternoon and another on Thursday morning, the suspect was arrested, Amherst police announced on Facebook.
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Deputies responded at about 1 a.m. on Wednesday to the village of South Amherst for a complaint of domestic violence.
Deputies said they determined that the suspect was 32-year-old Matt Dillion. When they responded to the residence, found him sitting in the driver’s seat of a Chevy Silverado pickup truck which was parked in the driveway.
“Deputies engaged Dillion verbally and attempted to have him exit the vehicle for over an hour. Dillion refused all verbal commands given by deputies,” according to Sgt. Damian Rodriguez.
Deputies attempted to remove Dillion from the vehicle.
“However, Dillion resisted their attempts by shifting the pickup truck into gear and reversing out of the driveway. While reversing, a deputy was partially dragged by the vehicle while being physically assaulted by Dillion. Dillion managed to evade arrest,” Rodriguez told FOX 8 News.
“While Dillion was dragging the deputy with his pick up truck, Dillion also punched the deputy.”
The deputy was not injured, he said.
Several arrest warrants for domestic violence and assault on a police officer were issued through the Oberlin Municipal Court.
Then at about 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, the Lorain County Sheriff’s Office received a call from a citizen who said that Dillion’s pickup truck had returned to the address on Wallu Drive in South Amherst.
“Units responded to the area in order to take Dillion into custody on the mentioned warrants. However, Dillion again refused to comply with deputies and proceeded to flee the area in his vehicle,” Rodriguez stated.
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Deputies initiated a pursuit from South Amherst then along state Route 2 into Avon, where the chase was called off, as Dillion sped onto Interstate 90 in Cuyahoga County.
“It was terminated in the interests of public safety. … No one was injured during this encounter,” Rodriguez said.
Deputies requested additional charges against Dillion.
On Thursday morning, Amherst police officers assisted county sheriff’s deputies in chasing and arresting Dillion, FOX 8 News has confirmed.
The vehicle pursuit ended on North Main Street, where Dillion reportedly crashed his vehicle and fled on foot, according to a Thursday morning Facebook post.
Police from Amherst and surrounding agencies used drones and K9 officers to track Dillion. He was apprehended “without further incident,” the post reads.
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