MEDINA, Ohio — Ali Esaleh, the man who led Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers on a chase last spring on I-271 after allegedly pulling a gun on a mechanic, has pleaded guilty to charges including aggravated robbery and felonious assault.
According to the Medina County Prosecutor's Office, Esaleh entered a plea of guilty to all charges that were set in earlier indictments.
The plea came on the same day that a jury trial was supposed to begin for Esaleh. The 48-year-old Buffalo man pleaded guilty to the following charges:
- Aggravated robbery with a firearm specification
- Failure to comply with an order or signal of a police officer
- Having weapons under disability
- Felonious assault (2 counts)
The case dates back to Thursday, May 11, 2023, when a mechanic claimed a semi-truck driver pulled a gun on him while traveling northbound near I-71 in Medina County's Granger Township. Troopers responded to the scene, but as they approached, Esaleh apparently unhooked his trailer and sped off in the truck.
A chase ensued for more than 10 miles along the interstate before reaching Richfield Township, where local police put out stop sticks in an attempt to bring the vehicle to a standstill. Once the truck arrived, it crashed into a Richfield Police Department cruiser before going off the left side of the highway and hitting a guard rail near State Route 303. Esaleh then got out of the cab and ran away into the woods with his firearm still in hand.
Multiple law enforcement agencies then searched for Esaleh for the better part of the next four hours.
Later that night, authorities say they found the Esaleh unconscious at the bottom of a ravine, still in possession of the weapon. He was taken into custody and transported by ambulance to a local hospital.
A sentencing hearing for Esaleh is set for July 25, at 9:30 a.m.
