‘Crash, crash, crash’: Police video shows stolen delivery van’s wrong-way wreck that killed doctor on I-90

CLEVELAND, Ohio - The stolen delivery van weaved through Interstate 90 on Wednesday with police officers in pursuit until it jumped into the wrong lane of the highway and hit an unsuspecting driver head-on.

Officers told dispatchers that the van hit speeds of 100 mph before the accident near the Fulton Road exit.

"Crash, crash, crash," an officer yelled to dispatchers. The impact killed Dr. Curtis Birchall, 70, near the Fulton Road exit.

Jalen Jackson, the van's driver, is charged with aggravated robbery, aggravated murder, discharging a firearm and tampering with evidence in the crash.

Jackson, 23, of Cleveland, made an initial court appearance Friday, where his bond was set at £1 million.

Hours after his hearing, Cleveland Heights police released some of the body-camera video from officers during the pursuit.

Police said officers responded to Summit Park Road at 7:20 p.m. after receiving a call that an Enterprise truck that was used to deliver Amazon packages was stolen at gunpoint. The officers noticed the stolen Enterprise van driving westbound on Grayton Road, near North Taylor Road.

The police video shows an officer in pursuit from Cleveland Heights to Cleveland's West Side. Along the way, officials said, officers believed that they had heard gunshots from the van.

It is unclear how many officers were involved in the chase.

At 7:41 p.m., Jackson led police through Ohio City, driving southbound on West 25th Street reaching approximately 74 mph, according to officers in the video.

"Watch out for pedestrian traffic," a dispatcher told officers.

Three minutes later, Cleveland Heights officer followed Jackson onto I-90 from West 25th.

"We're still on 90 west. Speed going 90," the officer said.

Jackson exited I-90 West at Lorain Avenue and then headed east on Lorain Avenue and snaked through neighborhoods near West 80th Street. At about 7:50 p.m., Jackson got back onto I-90, heading in the wrong direction on I-90 west.

The Cleveland Heights police officer in the video drives on the shoulder of I-90 chasing Jackson.

"Wrong way on the highway, wrong way on the highway. Eastbound in the westbound lanes. He's going eastbound in the westbound lanes," the officer yelled. "He's trying to cut back up to go the right way. ...

Light traffic, thank God."

At 7:54 p.m., Jackson collided with Birchall's car. Officers on both sides of the highway stop and exit their vehicles running across I-90 East toward the guard rail where Jackson is seen on the ground.

Cleveland police retrieved a gun and two cell phones. A police officer checked on Birchall and found that he had died.

"You can't get away from Cleveland Heights, mother f--er," one officer yells at Jackson, who is covered in blood.

He told officers his left leg was broken.

The incident devastated those who knew Birchall.

"Everyone who knows him is in shock," said Kivin Bauzo, a friend from Cleveland. "He treated everyone like a friend."

Bauzo said Birchall worked two jobs to save up to start the Fountain Clinic in Rocky River, an anti-aging office.

"He looked out for everyone," Bauzo said. "I don't even have the words to describe what a generous and giving person he was. He was always so sincere. You know when talking to him, he was always talking from the heart.

I'm going to miss Dr. B more than anything."

On Friday, Jackson made an initial appearance in Cleveland Heights Municipal Court. A Cuyahoga County grand jury is expected to hear his case in the next few weeks.

During a press conference Thursday, Cleveland Heights Mayor Khalil Seren told reporters that the city does not "want to jump to conclusions.

We're not interested in providing a narrative that is not supported" when asked whether protocol was followed by police.

The city's police chief, Christopher Britton, agreed: "At this time, I can't speak about evidence related to the crime, but we are still actively investigating the pursuit and the use of force, and all of our other police procedures."

Cleveland Heights police said there are thirteen more videos from the incident they will be releasing in the future.