04/24/18 Cleveland, OH – The City-Owned Parking Enforcement Officer’s Car Was Stolen When Left Running – Spotted By CPD – Two Males Ran And Escaped

www.cleveland.com

A thief stole a city-owned car from a parking enforcement officer who was writing tickets in downtown Cleveland, police say.

Investigators haven’t announced any arrests in the case, but they did find the car, according to a Cleveland police report.

The theft happened about 8:15 a.m. Tuesday on Prospect Avenue near East 22nd Street.

The city parking enforcement officer left the keys in the ignition and the engine running when he stopped to write tickets near a Prospect Avenue apartment building, the report says.

A male, who officers believe is a juvenile, got into the running car and drove eastbound on Prospect Avenue, the report says. The parking officer flagged down a passing driver and used her cellphone to call Cleveland police.

Officers searched for the small white Ford sedan and spotted it a few minutes later near East 40th Street and Euclid Avenue, dispatch records say.

Police followed the car until it stopped in a parking lot near Bohn Road and East 40th Street, the report says. Two males got out of the car and ran off through the neighborhood.

Investigators believe the thief picked up the second male sometime after he stole the car on Prospect Avenue, the report says.
The pair stole the parking officer’s phone out of the car before they ran off, the report says.

Officers planned to review surveillance footage captured by Cleveland State University cameras. Police reports do not say if the city-owned vehicle was damaged during the theft.