ELYRIA, Ohio (WJW) – An Ohio homeowner is frustrated after his home was hit by a car for the fourth time since he's lived there.
Dennis Campanalie, of Elyria, remembers waking up around 2:30 a.m., just moments before a speeding car crashed into his truck, car, preventative landscape and home. It was the fourth crash into his home in 30 years.
“All of a sudden, I heard a crash inside my house,” Campanalie said. “I knew exactly what it was.”
Before the crash, an Elyria patrolman heard screeching tires. The officer found a red Dodge vehicle at a nearby Speedway gas station and approached to question the occupant.
The driver eventually began to flee from the officer, who was partially leaning inside the vehicle and subsequently dragged a short distance.
The driver fled at a high rate of speed, eventually crashing into the home, which previously had been hit on three other occasions.
Campanalie said he intentionally parked his Toyota truck horizontally in the driveway for an added layer of protection against crashes.
“I had it parked sideways in the driveway because I did that just because I saw it,” he said. “If anybody did come in the driveway, they'd have to enter first, and I was right. They did.”
He also added boulders to the landscaping, and the city of Elyria installed a guard rail as a preventative measure.
When police arrived at the scene of the crash, they found no driver behind the wheel. The driver, later identified as 27-year-old Detroit native Dorian Williams, fled on foot, ran several blocks away and barricaded himself inside a residence. Neighbors in the area told Nexstar's WJW that he lives there.
Police surrounded the area before Williams got into a vehicle inside the residence and drove it through the garage door at officers, who then opened fire, hitting Williams and stopping the car.
Williams was arrested and given aid before being taken to a hospital. He was then released and taken to the Lorain County Sheriff's Office.
The officer who was dragged was treated at an area hospital for minor injuries to his arm and knee.
All officers who fired their weapons will be on paid leave until further notice, and the Lorain Police Department will continue to investigate the incident.
Campanalie said he is at his wit's end as to how to prevent another crash into his home.
“We’re assessing our options at this point,” he said. “I can’t keep living like this.”
