Cleveland man hospitalized after road-rage incident in Cleveland, Berea and Brook Park

BROOK PARK, Ohio – A Middleburg Heights man, 20, and a Cleveland man, 18, were cited for disorderly conduct at about midnight July 1 after they fought each other during a road-rage incident that started in Cleveland, then moved into Berea and Brook Park.

The younger man sustained several injuries due to the incident and was taken to Southwest General Health Center in Middleburg Heights. The two men gave police conflicting stories about what happened.

The older man said he was involved in a vehicle crash with the younger man on I-71 southbound in Cleveland. The younger man, driving a Ford Focus, didn’t stop after the crash and sped away. The older man, driving a Kia Rio, followed him in his car.

As both cars neared the Snow exit, the younger man’s Focus somehow rammed the Rio, forcing the Rio to turn sideways and stop. The older man, who didn’t appear injured, drove away afterward.

At some point, the men fought each other outside their cars in Berea but it’s not clear precisely when or where the fight occurred.

The younger man admitted that he kept driving after the crash on 71 but only because he wanted to take the nearest exit. He wanted to discuss the crash with the other driver off the freeway, where he believed it was safer.

As the younger man neared the Snow exit, the older man’s Rio continually rammed his Focus, causing the car to hit a wall several times. The younger man said he sustained most of his injuries during the vehicle crashes, not the fistfight.

Brook Park police told the men to file a crash report with Cleveland police.