Euclid Man Flees Crash Scene After His 8-Year-Old Brother Exposes His Identity

A Euclid man ran from the scene of a crash on Route 44 Sunday night for seemingly no reason, which baffled Mentor officers.

Parish Banks, 21, told police he fled on foot, evading officers for nearly three hours, because he thought he had warrants out for his arrest, but he did not.

"All that for nothing," Mentor Lt. Tim Allen said.

Banks was the passenger of a car involved in a non-injury, three-vehicle crash at 10:15 p.m. on 44, south of Blackbrook Road. Officers also collect information about passengers when filling out accident reports, and it turned out that Banks provided false identification.

Allen said reporting officers suspected as much when they couldn't find any information about the name he gave them. The false identity was exposed when another passenger, Banks' 8-year-old brother, told police, "That's my brother, Parish," Allen said.

At that point, Banks took off running south on 44, then east, jumping over a fence and into some bushes. An officer scraped his elbows and knees during the pursuit and Banks got away.

An officer spotted Banks walking along Route 2 near the Hendricks Road bridge at 1 a.m. and arrested him. The officer was not part of the pursuit, but recognized him from the department's description.

Banks admitted lying upon arrest. He was charged with falsification, a first-degree misdemeanor and fifth-degree felony obstruction of official business.

He was also charged with resisting arrest. Allen said this charge was upgraded to a first-degree misdemeanor because of the injuries he caused to the officer during the pursuit.