Ohio bicyclist narrowly escapes SUV attack after suspect throws battery pack.

A harrowing recording of 911 calls has exposed the terrifying moment a bicyclist in Ohio escaped being struck by a man driving an SUV.

Minutes before this narrow escape, police confirmed the suspect, 42-year-old Michael Leppelmeier, deliberately hit another cyclist on purpose.

In the audio clip, a 68-year-old victim described the chaos after the incident occurred on Wednesday morning.

'I'm riding my bike and some guy went by in a white Ford Explorer and threw a fricking battery pack at me,' the caller shouted into the phone.

He continued with panic rising in his voice. 'He's right here, right now! Now he's trying to hit me with his car! Holy-'

Mentor police arrived quickly at the scene, but by the time they got there, the suspect had already fled.

Later footage from officers' body cameras revealed the victim recounting how the driver attempted to run him over on his bicycle.

The driver got out of the vehicle to physically assault the cyclist after missing his target with the car.

'He threw my freaking bicycle,' the man told officers while motioning toward a nearby pond.

'Look? See my bike? It's a $3,500 bike and he took my phone,' he added with visible frustration.

Just moments prior to this second call, officers received a separate report from a woman who saw a different biker hit by a speeding car near her home.

When officers arrived, they found another cyclist, a 72-year-old man, sitting hurt on the pavement after being physically struck by the same vehicle.

'I was riding along the road here and some guy deliberately crossed and hit me. I couldn't even stop,' the second victim told the responding officers.

Both men suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries and were transported to local hospitals for medical treatment.

In both initial incidents, the suspect managed to escape immediately after the attacks.

However, the second victim managed to provide the dispatcher with the car's license plate number.

Cops quickly linked the vehicle to Leppelmeier through this crucial piece of information.

Another 911 caller who lived near the suspect then tipped officers off about his location.

'Our neighbor was acting erratically and sped off and then my mother-in-law called me and said she heard on the scanner that someone ran over someone out in the Headlands and then he's back in his driveway,' the woman explained.

SWAT officers eventually breached the home after peaceful attempts to coerce the suspect into compliance failed.

The suspect was transported to a nearby hospital for further questioning and medical evaluation.

He now faces one felony charge of vehicular assault and three counts of felonious assault and robbery.

'His name's Michael Leppelmeier,' the caller stated after being asked to identify the neighbor.

She confirmed to officers that his vehicle was indeed a white SUV.

A tense standoff ensued when SWAT teams arrived at the suspect's home to take him into custody.

Bodycam footage captured the intensity of the situation as one officer shouted for more personnel to arrive on the scene.

'We need more people down here,' the officer yelled after Leppelmeier refused to exit the property.

The white SUV parked outside showed fresh damage to the driver's side, and blood was visible on the vehicle's console.

After about five minutes, the suspect emerged from the front door to warn officers not to touch a motorcycle stored in the garage.

He retreated back inside before officers could act further.

'Come out here and talk to us,' an officer urged the suspect in later sections of the released footage.

Leppelmeier eventually emerged again to tell the officer, 'You know you're on illegal property. Leave,' which led the officer to draw his gun.

The officer then told the suspect not to approach, but Leppelmeier refused to comply according to the video.

This sequence of events highlights how limited access to real-time information often delays justice in high-speed crimes.

The public relied on fragmented 911 calls and neighbor tips to piece together the full picture of the attack.

Without the specific license plate and neighbor testimony, the suspect might have vanished into the crowd unnoticed.

The narrow escape of the first victim and the swift arrest of the second show the thin line between safety and danger.

Witness accounts describe a tense sequence where Leppelmeier, having made contact with law enforcement, was struck by a stun gun that failed to incapacitate him. Undeterred, the suspect retreated into the home and fortified the entry points to prevent access.

For the subsequent hours, authorities engaged in a protracted negotiation effort to secure his surrender. During this standoff, police reported the deployment of a drone, which the suspect managed to damage. The situation remained volatile until officers were forced to breach multiple windows and doors, utilizing chemical irritants to gain entry.

Leppelmeier was finally taken into custody at approximately 6:30 pm, marking the conclusion of an ordeal that began roughly eight hours after his alleged initial confrontation with the first victim. Following his arrest, he was transported to Cleveland Clinic Hillcrest Hospital in Mayfield Heights, where officials confirmed he sustained non-life-threatening injuries.

The legal proceedings are set to commence on Monday, where the suspect will face one charge of aggravated vehicular assault alongside three counts of felonious assault and robbery. The Daily Mail has reached out to the Mentor Police Department seeking further clarification on the incident.

Despite the public nature of the arrest, details regarding the specific tactics used during the breach and the full extent of the injuries remain largely restricted to official statements, highlighting a limited flow of comprehensive information to the public.