Akron: Two police officers hurt in early morning crash

AKRON -- Two police officers responding to aid other officers were involved in a 3 a.m. crash at the intersection of Copley Road and Madison Avenue with a car that ran a red light during the police pursuit, police said.

Both officers, the other driver, and the driver's passenger were taken to area hospitals with serious but non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

The officers were traveling westbound on Copley when a 2005 Nissan Altima that was traveling southbound on Madison with other police cruisers behind it collided with the cruiser in the intersection.

The force of the collision propelled the cruiser over the curb, where it came to rest against a fire hydrant on the southwest corner.

The cruiser and the Altima suffered disabling damage and were towed from the scene. 

The officers had been responding to the area to assist other officers in pursuit of the Altima, which police say had been stolen from Boardman.

The driver of the Altima ran the flashing red light at Copley and struck the cruiser on the passenger side.

The Altima's driver was Dontrell Parker, 24, of Dumbarton Boulevard in Cleveland, and his passenger was an 18-year-old woman.

Through investigation, officers determined that Nissan Altima was stolen from Boardman, Ohio.

The Akron Police Department Traffic Reconstruction Unit is investigating the crash.

The names of the officers are being withheld, per department policy.