MANTUA, Ohio — A North Royalton man is in custody following an apparent police chase Thursday evening across two counties in Northeast Ohio.
According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the ordeal began around 7:41 p.m. when a trooper pulled over the suspect's vehicle in Auburn Township. As the trooper tried to identify the man and asked him to exit the car, a Geauga County Sheriff's deputy arrived on scene, but the suspect sped away westbound on U.S. Route 422, nearly hitting the trooper in the process.
The deputy pursued the vehicle first west then east on Route 422 before the suspect eventually got off the highway on state Route 44 in Portage County. He eventually crashed on Sheldon Road near Route 82 in Mantua Township, where he was arrested by the deputy.
The suspect has been identified as 35-year-old Nicholas A. Rosian, and he was taken by ambulance to a local hospital with what were described as non-life-threatening injuries. He faces a number of criminal charges, including fleeing for officers, identity fraud, possession of drug paraphernalia, and operating a vehicle without a valid license.
The trooper who first pulled Rosian over was unharmed in the incident. The matter remains under investigation.