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Canfield man faces 11 charges in chase through 3 counties, crash

Javon M. Gage, 29, of Revere Run, Canfield, remained in the Summit County jail Tuesday after a nearly hourlong Sunday-night chase by the Ohio State Highway Patrol from Interstate 76 in Mogadore into Youngstown.

Gage now has two pending felony charges and six pending misdemeanors in Summit County and three misdemeanors in Youngstown Municipal Court as a result of the episode, which ended with a head-on collision in a parking lot on Midlothian Boulevard in Youngstown.

Sgt. Ashley Jackson, spokeswoman for the Ohio State Highway Patrol, stated in a Tuesday email the collision in Youngstown involved minor injuries to those in the vehicle struck by Gage’s vehicle.

She stated that the incident began with state troopers trying to pull Gage over at I-76 and state Route 532 in Mogadore at 6:57 p.m. Sunday for stolen license plates.

Gage would not stop, and a pursuit ensued.

The chase reached speeds of 100 mph and ended in a crash in a parking lot in Youngstown at 7:55 p.m. Gage attempted to flee from the scene on foot but was taken into custody a short distance later, Jackson said.

Gage was taken to the Summit County jail and the chase and crash remain under investigation, she stated.

Gage was arraigned Tuesday in Stow Municipal Court on felonies of failure to comply with the orders of a police officer and receiving stolen property. If convicted on those charges, Gage could get several years in prison.

He also was arraigned Tuesday in Stow on misdemeanor OVI, providing false information, driving while texting, failure to reinstate, reckless operation and a seat belt violation.

He pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanors. No plea was offered on the felonies. Highway patrol officers from the Akron-Tallmadge area filed the charges, according to court records.

Gage was charged Tuesday in Youngstown Municipal Court with misdemeanors of reckless operation, a seat belt violation and driving while texting. The location of those offenses was Hillman Street and Midlothian Boulevard, according to court records. Troopers with the Canfield Post appear to have filed those charges.

Gage was not arraigned yet on Youngstown charges as of Tuesday afternoon, according to court records.

A Youngstown police report released Monday states that Youngstown officers assisted but did not get directly involved in the chase, which entered Youngstown at 7:20 p.m. when officers saw a dark green Ford Explorer perform a U-turn on I-680 and then travel north on I-680 in the southbound lanes.

The motorist then used I-680 to turn around near the Belle Vista Avenue exit to merge into the correct lanes of travel and continue to the Market Street exit, the report states.

A Youngstown officer then activated his cruiser’s lights and siren and monitored the highway patrol’s pursuit while another Youngstown patrol car “paralleled the pursuit,” warning oncoming traffic near the intersections, the Youngstown report states.

The pursuit proceeded throughout the South Side and took about 25 minutes, the report states.

The Ford Explorer disregarded public safety by traveling through intersections, yards, fences into oncoming lanes of travel and open business lots, the report states.

The suspect eventually lost control of the vehicle on Midlothian Boulevard, causing it to jump the curb at Burger King and strike another vehicle head-on, the Youngstown report states.

The suspect then fled on foot through the Burger King parking lot. State troopers used a stun gun on Gage and took him into custody shortly after he tried to “hijack” a Youngstown ambulance vehicle and was “assisted to the ground,” the Youngstown report states.

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