How many times does a routine traffic stop turn into something else? Pretty often, as far as we can tell, and we’ve got one here that’s no different. This particular stop at an Ohio gas station took a sharp turn, as they often do, when a man allegedly climbed into a stolen car and sped off while it was in process.
Police identified him as 29-year-old Corrione Lawrence. Lawrence then led officers on a high-speed chase through Euclid before he was stopped. He now faces several charges tied to the stolen vehicle and the pursuit.
Officers were carrying out a traffic stop at the gas station when Lawrence allegedly got into a vehicle that police say was stolen. He decided to drive off instead of cooperate. Police say the chase picked up speed as he tried to get away.
Police say Lawrence was arrested and charged with multiple offenses, both for his stolen car and the alleged flight from officers. What kind of convictions he ends up facing is up to prosecutors and the courts. But while that’s to be untangled in court, it’s difficult to understand his motives (or any information) about why he made the decision to flee.
So we have a stolen vehicle and a flight from police. Both allegations are serious under Ohio law, and elsewhere for that matter. And both can help to explain, in case you’re still wondering, why running from a traffic stop rarely ends the way a driver hopes. And the fact of the matter is, you probably shouldn’t be doing it — though that’s common sense, we understand.
What the Charges Mean Under Ohio Law
There are two offenses here: one is receiving stolen property. In Ohio, that’s a felony when the item is a motor vehicle. A person doesn’t have to steal a car to be charged, only to hold or drive one they knew was stolen. The pursuit is a second charge, and it’s the more serious of the two.
Fleeing from a traffic stop has its own name in Ohio: failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer. Under state law, driving off after an officer signals you to stop is a felony, not a ticket. It actually changes to a third-degree felony in a couple of situations. One is fleeing right after committing another felony. The other is a flight that causes a substantial risk of serious harm to people or property.
Why Running From a Stop Rarely Helps
A traffic stop, even for a stolen car, is a small and contained situation. The officer knows where the driver is, and the encounter can end at the curb. When the driver speeds off, that control is gone. A stop that involved one person now threatens a whole block. It grows into a whole area problem. And no one ever wins.
A driver who flees rarely gets far, especially since there are license plate readers and police radios in play. The attempt itself is a charge on its own, on top of whatever the stop was about. In Ohio, it’s a felony, one that can outweigh the original reason for the stop. So, whether you live in Ohio or elsewhere, if you’re thinking you want to steal a car and flee, it’s not the answer to any of your problems.
Take a second, think, and maybe do something productive instead. You’ve got the rest of your life to live.