What was supposed to be a simple Facebook Marketplace sale turned into a carjacking. A 37-year-old man was hoping to sell his sedan to a pair of teenagers when one of them pulled out a gun and fled in the vehicle. When the cops arrived, the car thieves managed to escape, leading them on a high-speed chase. Unfortunately for them, karma had other ideas that day.
Carjackers crash after police pursue them in a high-speed chase
On Saturday, August 22, at around 7:00 p.m., the 37-year-old owner of a 2015 Chevy Impala had his vehicle stolen at gunpoint by two teenagers during a Facebook Marketplace sale, according to police per WKYC and 19 News.
The victim, who was accompanied by a 39-year-old man from Cleveland, thought that the sale was going well when 18-year-old Martelle Carlito Reed and his unnamed 19-year-old accomplice took the Impala for a test drive near Liberty Hills Apartments on Hampton Court.
During a discussion about the vehicle’s title, however, the accomplice allegedly pointed a gun at the car owner and the teens sped away in the vehicle without paying for the vehicle.
“When I was here, he just put a gun on him,” one of the victims said as he pointed to his friend on police bodycam footage. “And then they just ran away with the car.”
Officers arrived on the scene and spotted the stolen sedan travelling north on SOM Center Road and attempted to stop it there, but the carjackers managed to escape. They sped west on U.S. 422, reaching speeds of over 115 mph and continued onto I-480. Dashcam footage from a patrol car shows the vehicle dangerously switching from lane to lane and dodging multiple police cruisers in pursuit.
But the teenagers soon encountered something that they couldn’t escape: traffic. Video shows Reed rear-ending two vehicles on the Northfield Road overpass, potentially injuring a 40-year-old female driver of one of the cars who was later taken to an area hospital for treatment. The male driver in the other vehicle had children in the car, but fortunately, the injuries the children suffered were not life-threatening.
Accomplice pleads with officer for help
The Chevy, which had extensive damage throughout its body, sputtered and collided with the wall of the highway. The trunk and left side of the vehicle can be seen thoroughly wrecked.
While Reed was able to get out of the stolen Impala and was seen hopping on one foot as he clambered out of the driver’s seat, he was quickly cornered by police. One officer placed the teen in handcuffs and pushed him against the chained-fence barrier.
Meanwhile, an officer ordered the accomplice who was in the back seat with the airbags deployed to put his hands up, but he couldn’t get out of the vehicle. The officer approached the 19-year-old as he placed his arms out of the broken window and he tried to pull him out of the broken window. However, the accomplice said he was severely injured and pleaded with the officer not to continue.
“Uh, my leg’s broken,” the accomplice said as he was being placed in handcuffs.
“Well, don’t rob someone,” the officer replied. “Especially in Solon.”
Reed was taken into custody at the scene of the crash. He has been charged with aggravated robbery, failure to comply with the order of a police officer, and aggravated vehicular assault. Police recovered a loaded semiautomatic pistol from the Impala.
The 19-year-old accomplice was taken to Hillcrest Hospital with serious injuries, but he is expected to survive. Police say that once he is released from the hospital, he will be charged with aggravated robbery and additional weapons charges.
