Two dead in separate north Columbus highway crashes

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — One woman is dead after an overnight multi-vehicle crash Monday night that began as an alleged auto theft in north Columbus. State Route 315 North was closed for several hours after three people were hospitalized near the King Avenue exit after a white 2018 Mercedes-Benz struck a black 2018 Mercedes-Benz head-on while traveling in the wrong direction. Columbus police said all three injured were hospitalized in critical condition at around 10:15 p.m. The two drivers remain in critical condition, according to a CPD crash report. Kaitlyn Spahr, 32, a passenger in the black Mercedes, was unable to survive her injuries and was pronounced dead at 10:51 p.m. The City's Attorney's Office confirmed Tuesday morning that Spahr was senior attorney in Zach Klein's office. Xiaoke Fan, 30, has been charged with aggravated vehicular homicide and vehicular assault. Police said the incident began as a reported theft in Clintonville when Fan allegedly got into a woman's vehicle, who told police Fan said she needed help. The woman observed an abrasion near Fan's right eye and that she drove Fan to Riverside Hospital less than a mile away. At the hospital, the woman reported that Fan then produced a large rock and threatened to strike the woman, who then exited her vehicle and called the police. Fan drove away with the woman's vehicle, heading south in the northbound lanes of SR-315. Shortly after, Fan, who is also charged with aggravated robbery, collided with Spahr's vehicle. “The City Attorney’s Office suffered a tremendous loss last night as Prosecutor and Senior Attorney Kaitlyn Spahr was killed in a car accident," City Attorney Zach Klein said in a statement. "Kaitlyn was a dedicated public servant, working in the City Attorney’s Office for several years. She was a hard worker, someone who cared about her job, and more importantly, the people she worked with and for—the residents of our city. Columbus is better for people like Kaitlyn who make a difference in the work they do each day. My thoughts, sympathies, and prayers are with Kaitlyn, her family and all who loved her during this difficult time.” Klein said Spahr began her tenure with the City Attorney's Office in February 2022. A court date has not yet been sat for Fan, who remains in the hospital with critical injuries.