AKRON, Ohio — Akron police have arrested an 18-year-old man in connection to a fatal August crash.
Police say that Miguel Gipson surrendered to authorities after an arrest warrant was issued. The arrest came after investigators determined that Gipson was allegedly the driver in the fatal crash that killed 18-year-old Stephonne Jackson.
Gipson is being charged with the following:
- Aggravated vehicular homicide
- Aggravated vehicular assault
- Receiving stolen property
- Willful flee
- Reckless operation
- Failure to control
- No OL
- Speed, red light, left of center and a seat belt violation
The incident began just after 11:30 p.m. on Aug. 30, when officers spotted a stolen red Kia Forte driving at a high speed at Kelly Avenue and Tech Way Drive. Upon spotting the stolen vehicle, officers attempted a traffic stop, but the driver refused to stop.
Police briefly chased the vehicle, before terminating the chase around Kelly Avenue and 6th Avenue after police say that the stolen vehicle reached speeds of 100 miles per hour.
Moments later, the stolen vehicle struck an uninvolved blue Kia, who was stopped in northbound traffic. After colliding with the vehicle, the red Kia crashed into a pole and caught on fire at Kelly Avenue and Third Avenue.
Officers removed three 18-year-old men, from the burning car and took them to area hospitals due to injuries. One of the occupants, Jackson, died shortly after arriving at the hospital.
Initially, Akron police noted that at nearly the same time as the pursuit, a shooting was reported in the 800 block of Eller Avenue. Upon further investigation, police determined that there was no link between the fatal crash and the non-fatal shooting.
