Video: What driver told police after crashing Hopkins Airport fences
CLEVELAND (WJW) – Police video released to the FOX 8 I-Team takes you into the scene after investigators say a mother with kids crashed fences at Hopkins Airport.
We’ve also found new steps to prevent something like that from happening again.
Brook Park police shows the driver challenging an officer as he tried to give her traffic tickets.
“Can I see your citations?” she said.
“They’re exactly the same,” the officer responded.
“No, let me see your citations,” the driver insisted.
Monday, police say a mom with two kids in the car plowed through six fences at Hopkins Airport. Investigators, quickly found the driver having some kind of crisis.
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Before she went to the hospital, Brook Park police tried to issue her tickets. They say she hit multiple cars and went outside of her lane on Snow Road before barreling through airport fences.
“I did not cause the accident,” the woman said. “Would you stop for someone trying to harm you… following you?”
At the scene, Brook Park police issued those tickets, but Cleveland police could file other charges. They say the driver could face charges for vandalism and child endangering.
Once the investigation is finished, a prosecutor will decide.
Meanwhile, an I-Team camera on Thursday captured guardrails going up along a section of airport fencing. We’ve seen many drivers crash these fences.
But, a Hopkins spokesperson said the guardrail work is not related to what just happened.
In an email, the airport response to an I-Team inquiry said, “Planning for the guardrail project began in fall of 2023 and the budget was approved in January of this year. The work officially started on Monday so no, it was not as a result of the incident. The current guardrail install will occur along Brookpark Road to SR 237. We are planning for additional installation in 2025 on the south side of the airport.”
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But, what timing for the work to start.
On the video, at one point, a Cleveland officer tried to encourage the mother to stop asking so many questions about those tickets.
“Come on, let’s go. The sooner we get there… Your kids are already on the way to the hospital, and you’re not going to be there,” the officer said.
A police report shows the driver had more than $7,000 in her pockets and more than $11,000 in her car.
The I-Team checked court records in three counties and found no criminal cases against her,
We found her driver’s license had been suspended three times before, but she currently has a valid license.
The incident Monday led to a halt in planes taking off for half an hour.
“Please, put my son’s information on the citation,” the mother told an officer.
“I don’t need to do that,” the officer responded.
Adding to the cost, the airport had to have private security sit at the openings in the fences until they could be repaired.
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