HUDSON, Ohio - A wild police chase ended with a naked man running through traffic and being hit by a minivan.
It started just before 5 a.m. Monday morning with reports of a wrong-way driver speeding on I-77 in Stark County, Ohio.
Sheriff’s deputies in both Stark and Summit counties began pursuing the 2013 silver Kia Optima driven by 23-year-old Jovon Dawson of University Heights.
Stow police also responded and deployed “stop sticks” on State Route 8, but when the vehicle came to a stop Dawson fled on foot.
Baffled drivers called 911 and reported seeing him jump the median and run into the southbound lanes of State Route 8.
One caller said, “He just jumped into the middle of the street and laid down ... butt-naked.”
A short time later another driver called 911 and thought he had hit a deer or that a deer had run into his minivan.
“I have no idea what the hell it was,” said the caller.
When the dispatcher told the driver they were looking for a naked man the driver became upset, pulled over and began looking for Dawson.
He said, “Oh, don’t tell me that, don’t tell me that, I’m going down to see if it is a person oh God no.”
Police located Dawson, naked and lying on the ground near the median, with what appeared to be a compound fracture of the left leg.
He was taken to Akron General Hospital and treated for non-life threatening injuries.
Police say drugs are believed to be a factor in the incident but currently, everything is under investigation.
