A shooting suspect drove the wrong way up a highway exit ramp before smashing into several vehicles Wednesday night.
According to Cincinnati Police, the gunman – who police say had just shot his estranged wife multiple times in Evanston – hit a red sedan head-on, seriously injuring the woman behind the wheel.
That initial crash occurred on the Ridge Avenue exit ramp from I-71 northbound and the Norwood Lateral eastbound.
Witnesses say the suspect's black sedan continued the wrong way up the exit ramp after the first collision. He smashed into other cars and the guardrail before jumping out through the driver's side window and fleeing on foot.
The man jumped the concrete median and tried to flag down passing cars in an attempt to flee the scene.
Witnesses say the gunman was hit more than once by those passing vehicles, but each time he got up and kept running.
One witness says the suspect tried to open doors of two passing SUVs with children inside. Both drivers were able to get away, but not before dragging the suspect several feet.
Police say an off-duty officer in the adjacent shopping center parking lot heard the initial crash and responded immediately. Witnesses thought the off-duty officer was an armed civilian.
The officer jumped over two fences, armed with his off-duty 9mm pistol, and chased the suspect into a grassy area between the highway lanes.
Witnesses say the suspect tried to stab himself with a large stick before he was apprehended by the off-duty officer. Police say that officer had no idea at the time that the man was wanted in the Evanston shooting.
At least 10 vehicles were involved in the crash and the exit ramp remained closed into the night as officers processed the scene for evidence and collected witness statements.
No word yet on charges or the condition of the suspect or his shooting victim. The innocent driver's condition is also unknown.
