PARMA, Ohio — Parma police arrested a man after he fled a traffic stop in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
According to a press release from the Parma Police Department, 48-year-old Amos Lavon Travis of Cleveland was pulled over by a Parma officer at approximately 1:12 a.m. on Brookpark Road after the officers observed an "equipment violation" on Travis' vehicle.
As the officer began speaking to Travis, a odor of "raw marijuana" could be smelled coming from the vehicle. When asked about the odor, Travis confirmed that he had a small bag of marijuana in his vehicle and showed it to the officer.
The officer asked Travis to exit the vehicle, which he refused. Travis then fled the scene, traveling westbound on Brookview Boulevard to State Road.
When the officer caught up with Travis' vehicle on Pearl Road, he observed a three-car crash involving Travis' vehicle. One of the cars was unoccupied, and the driver of the other vehicle did not report any injuries. By the time officers arrived to the scene of the crash, Travis had already exited the vehicle in a further attempt to flee.
Officers continued the pursuit on foot when Travis was seen running across Pearl Road. During the pursuit, Travis was seen throwing what was later identified as a loaded firearm onto the ground. The gun was previously reported as stolen.
When the officer caught up to Travis and attempted to tackle him to the ground, he reached into his waistband and threw another firearm to the ground. He was placed under arrest once he was brought to the ground.
Travis was charged with failure to comply, a third-degree felony. Additional charges could be added after the case is presented to a Cuyahoga County grand jury.