Solon police release body and dash cam that capture moment officer was dragged by car
By: Police dash and body cameras captured the terrifying moment when an officer was dragged by a car he had pulled over for a traffic stop. It was just before 2 a.m. Sunday when Solon Patrolman James Cervik stopped the car traveling at 88 miles per hour in a 60 mph zone on eastbound US Route 422.
In a video from Officer Cervik’s body camera, the driver, 27-year-old Termaine Tyrone Jackson, is heard telling the patrolman, “I know I was moving a little fast.”
The officer responded, “88, and you don’t have a seat belt on.”
Jackson then said, “I know, I’m sorry, I live in Twinsburg, I was actually on my way home.”
But after Officer Cervik detected the smell of marijuana coming from the car. He, and a second patrolman, asked Jackson to step out of the vehicle.
One of the officers told Jackson, “All right, come out. You ain’t going to jail over weed, man. You’re not going to jail or anything. If you leave though, I tell you, you drive away right now, you’re going to jail.”
Jackson then responded, “I’m not going to drive away.”
Jackson eventually admitted that he is a convicted felon, and after more than four minutes of refusing to get out of the car, he admitted that he has a gun in the vehicle. That’s when Patrolman Cervik opened the driver’s side door and ordered Jackson to get out of the car, but he refused.
The dash and body camera video captured Officer Cervik yelling, “Don’t do it, don’t do it,” before Jackson accelerated and sped away.
Officer Cervik was dragged a short distance while clinging to the door.
Solon Police said the 57-year-old Cervik, a 31-year veteran of the force, suffered bumps, bruises, and road rash after he tumbled to the ground on the side of the highway.
Investigators said another responding officer tried to catch up with Termaine Jackson’s car, but at that point, the vehicle was traveling at more than 100 MPH down Cochran Rd., and the pursuit was quickly called off.
“You know risk versus reward, at that point, we knew who he was, so it definitely was not worth putting any more innocent bystanders at risk with those speeds,” said Assistant Police Chief Donald Haines.
Police have now issued an arrest warrant for Termaine Jackson, on charges of assault on a peace officer, obstructing official business, and fleeing and eluding.
“He’s a very dangerous individual, if he’s willing to drag a police officer 20 feet down the road, we don’t know what he’s capable of doing,” said Asst. Chief Haines.
We are told that Patrolman Cervik was treated for his injuries at a nearby hospital and released.
He is now recovering at home.