CLEVELAND — One person is dead and a portion of I-90 East was closed for several hours after a police pursuit ended with a wrong-way crash Wednesday evening in Cleveland.
Authorities say the chase began in Cleveland Heights, where officers had been after an allegedly stolen Amazon van. The pursuit made its way into Cleveland where police say the suspect drove the wrong way on I-90 East in the area of the Fulton overpass.
Cleveland Heights police continued the pursuit of the suspect as a Cleveland police helicopter assisted.
The suspect collided head-on with the vehicle of an "uninvolved citizen." The driver of that vehicle -- identified by the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner as 70-year-old Curtis Birchall of Akron -- was pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver of the Amazon van attempted to flee on foot following the crash, but was eventually arrested. Police say the suspect sustained serious injuries.
While further details regarding the collision have not been fully confirmed, one witness said she saw the van fly by her home on Clark Avenue and West 50th Street before getting on I-90 East going the wrong way as police followed behind.
All eastbound lanes were subsequently shut down between West 41st and West 25th Street. Ohio Department of Transportation cameras previously showed first responders working to direct vehicles off the highway.
While I-90 West remained open, traffic had been backed up all the way to the interchange with I-490 and I-71 before starting to more normally again by 11 p.m. The eastbound lanes were cleared by 11:30 p.m.
On Thursday, Cleveland Heights officials held a briefing on the incident. You can watch in the player below.