Teens may face charges after cake thrown at Pa. State Police cruiser near Conneaut Lake

SUMMIT TOWNSHIP — A cake in the face was no laughing matter over the weekend when the face in question was the windshield of a state police cruiser traveling near the northern tip of Conneaut Lake.

No one was injured in the incident that occurred at 11:39 p.m. Saturday on Route 18 near its intersection with Lakeland Drive, but an 18-year-old and three juveniles will face charges, according to state police.

“A lot of worst-case scenarios could’ve happened,” said Cpl. Greg Murphy of Pennsylvania State Police at Meadville. “Short of some hard lessons learned (by the four suspects), this is the best-case scenario that could have happened.”

The adult and three males involved in the incident allegedly hid in the brush off the northern berm of Route 18 near the Lakeland Drive intersection, according to a press release from police, armed with eggs and cakes to toss at passing vehicles.

As the state police cruiser approached, the 18-year-old Conneaut Lake man allegedly hurled a large cake, striking it in the hood and windshield. The press release did not include the name of the man because charges had not yet been filed. The three other suspects were a 16-year-old Conneaut Lake male, a 16-year-old Linesville male and a 15-year-old Espyville male. The press release did not include the names of the other three suspects because they are minors.

Upon impact, the cake “disintegrated, completely obstructing any view of the road,” Murphy said. “The trooper did an excellent job bringing the vehicle to a controlled stop.”

The trooper managed to avoid oncoming traffic that was present at the time and to avoid exiting the roadway toward the berm where the four suspects had been hidden, according to Murphy, and subsequently activated the vehicle’s emergency lights.

The suspects fled immediately as the cruiser came to a stop, according to the police press release. Two were apprehended a short time later and taken into custody.

According to Murphy, the investigation revealed the involvement of the other two suspects, who will also be charged in the incident. Murphy declined to identify which two suspects were taken into custody after the incident.

The patrol vehicle suffered only minor cosmetic damage in the incident, according to Murphy, with cake infiltrating the vehicle’s vents, door jambs and elsewhere.

Charges will be filed through Magisterial District Judge Rita Marwood’s office and will include reckless endangerment of another person, propulsion of missiles, criminal mischief and conspiracy.