Dayton man pleads guilty in serious crash while running from police

ajc.com

A Dayton man accused of causing a head-on crash while running from police when he dodged around tire deflation devices has pleaded guilty.

Mateen Zahir Harvey, 29, pleaded guilty to vehicular assault in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court.

According to the plea agreement, filed Tuesday, Harvey could face a fine of up to $10,000 and one to five years in prison. His driver’s license will also be suspended for one to three years.

As part of the agreement, a charge of failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer was dismissed.

The charges stem from a pursuit late June 9, 2024 that ended just after midnight, according to a Dayton Police Department crash report.

According to the report, during the pursuit, Harvey was driving a black 2018 Nissan Maxima south on North Main Street at around 74 mph.

Near the intersection with Mary Avenue, police said he crossed the center lines to try to avoid two sets of Stop Sticks that had been deployed by police, crashing head-on into an oncoming bronze 2009 Chevrolet Malibu, despite the driver swerving to try to avoid him.

Harvey and the Malibu’s driver, a 53-year-old woman, both suffered serious injuries and were taken to Miami Valley Hospital, the report said.

Harvey reportedly didn’t have a valid driver’s license at the time of the crash.

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