A young woman working her shift at Mercy Health – West Hospital on Saturday afternoon suddenly found herself taken against her will, sparking a fast-moving police response across local streets. Her family alerted law enforcement right away and gave officers a clear description of the vehicle involved in the abduction.
Around 4 p.m., police officers spotted the matching car driving down Boudinot Avenue and tried to pull it over immediately. The driver refused to stop, stepping on the gas and leading officers on a tense chase that stretched across the area for roughly 45 minutes.
The pursuit finally came to an end on Werk Road, right near Our Lady of the Visitation School in Green Township. Instead of surrendering to the surrounding law enforcement, the driver got out of his vehicle holding a knife and moved aggressively toward the officers on scene.
Officers repeatedly yelled at the man to drop the weapon, but he ignored every command and kept advancing on them. Facing an immediate physical threat, three officers—two from Cincinnati Police and one from Green Township Police—opened fire to stop his advance.
The suspect, identified by authorities as 23-year-old Timothy Cromwell, was struck by the bullets and fell to the ground. However, the confrontation did not end there. Cromwell pulled himself back up off the pavement and continued toward the officers while still holding the knife.
Officers fired a second burst of shots, hitting Cromwell again and sending him back down to the ground. In a wild display of persistence, Cromwell stood up a third time and kept moving toward the police officers, prompting them to fire additional rounds that finally ended the confrontation.
Paramedics transported Cromwell to a nearby hospital, where medical staff pronounced him dead. None of the responding police officers suffered any physical injuries during the standoff or the vehicle pursuit that preceded it.
When investigators later spoke with the victim, she shared key details about what Cromwell had told her during the kidnapping. She said Cromwell made it clear he was not going back to jail and explicitly mentioned wanting to force a suicide by cop scenario.
Police records show Cromwell was already wanted on two misdemeanor warrants and had a history of prior arrests involving abduction, stalking, and aggravated menacing. Authorities also noted he had been dealing with multiple mental health issues leading up to Saturday’s fatal shooting. Interim Police Chief Adam Hennie confirmed that investigators are continuing to review every detail of the abduction, chase, and shooting.
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