Bowling Green Police arrested a Toledo man who reportedly refused to stop his vehicle for police, then fled on foot.
Ezell Buchanan Jr., 60, was charged with failure to comply with order or signal of police officer, obstructing official business, receiving stolen property, driving under OVI suspension, reckless operation, fictitious plates, and expired registration.
On Friday, around 9:10 p.m., an officer was in a drive thru in the 1000 block of North Main Street when he ran a random plate check on a vehicle. The plate came back for a white 1986 Chevrolet that expired in 2020 – but was on a 2008 black Honda Odyssey.
The vehicle left the drive thru line and exited the parking lot. It turned north on North Main Street, then turned west onto Dale Drive.
A check with LEADS showed that the owner of the vehicle had a warrant for his arrest.
According to the police report, the vehicle drove into the parking lot in the 1000 block of Fairview Avenue. The officer turned on his overhead lights to make a traffic stop. Buchanan reportedly did not stop, and drove through the backyards of an apartment building, at a high rate of speed, within feet of the rear patios.
The police officer located the vehicle stopped in the parking lot of a business in the 1000 block of North Main Street. He saw a male standing next to the van. The officer drew his service weapon and ordered the suspect to show his hands. He reportedly did not comply.
The suspect began running northeast. The officer followed, giving multiple commands to stop running, show his hands, and get on the ground.
The suspect kept looking back at the officer as he ran, and said something that the officer believed was “I have a knife.”
Shortly after, the suspect stopped and said he was done. He was handcuffed and walked back to the cruiser.
When asked by the officer why he ran, Buchanan reportedly said he had a lot of things going on. He told police he had been drinking a little.
Dispatch reported that Buchanan had a warrant out of New Jersey for possession of a weapon, and was under several suspensions including an OVI.
Police administered a portable breath test on Buchanan, with the result being .013 blood alcohol content. He was transported to the Wood County Jail.
Police checked into the fictitious validation sticker on Buchanan’s van. The sticker came back to a Bowling Green resident. He was contacted and asked if he had a license plate or sticker stolen recently. The resident said he wasn’t aware of a theft, but he went outside and checked his trailer and found the sticker gone.
