ERIE COUNTY -- Authorities detained a wrong-way driver who rammed into a Ohio State Highway Patrol car on the Ohio Turnpike and kept driving late Tuesday night.
According to the Milan post of the highway patrol, troopers received a report of a wrong-way driver traveling eastbound in the westbound lanes in Oxford Township around 10:45 p.m.
A trooper traveling westbound observed the wrong-way pickup truck approaching him and attempted to stop the driver by pulling over onto the left berm with overhead lights activated. According to the patrol, the pickup continued eastbound without slowing and struck the trooper's car in a sideswipe motion. The driver continued traveling after the collision.
The trooper was not injured, but his patrol car was disabled from the damage.
Additional troopers attempted to stop the suspect as he drove eastbound. The truck finally stopped after running over stop sticks deployed by troopers at milepost 131 in Florence Township.
Joseph Kozar, 67, of Amherst was arrested and charged with vehicular assault, drunk driving, leaving the scene of a crash and reckless operation of a motor vehicle. He is incarcerated at the Erie County Jail.
Troopers report Kozar was not injured as a result of the incident and no other vehicles were involved.
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