Officers from the Cleveland Division of Police and Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department shot a 38-year-old Cleveland man following multiple carjackings and a lengthy vehicle pursuit.
Officials did not release the name of the suspect, who survived the shooting and was taken to a hospital. As of Wednesday morning, he had not been charged.
The shooting occurred following multiple reports of carjackings around 9 p.m. on Tuesday, first on West 150th Street in Cleveland and then on the city’s East Side. Officers located a suspect vehicle on the East Side and began a pursuit that lasted almost an hour, said Chief Annie Todd.
“The suspect initially began waving a firearm at the officers who were behind him, and then engaged in shooting at the officers a short time later,” Todd said during a press conference at police headquarters Wednesday.
It’s unclear how many shots were fired at officers, said Todd, but she estimated at least one dozen shots based on recovered shell casings and officer reports.
“At this time, our officers knew we had a mobile active shooter and this was our priority to make sure we took this dangerous person off the street,” Todd said.
Deputies from the Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Department assisted during the pursuit and deployed a spike strip to slow the suspect vehicle, which continued for 15 to 20 minutes after driving over the spikes, police said.
Deputies used a “pit maneuver,” bumping the rear corner of a fleeing vehicle, causing it to spin out to end the pursuit.
Two deputies and two Cleveland police officers fired their weapons and were placed on administrative leave, according to Todd. No officers were injured and the officers’ names were not released.
Since the summer, the sheriff’s department has led a federally funded initiative focused on carjackings countywide.
This pursuit was preceded by five carjackings, according to Todd.
“There's some technology we're also deploying so we know when these things occur, and we can respond as close to real time as possible,” said Cuyahoga County Sheriff Harold Pretel.
The city plans to release video of the incident, Todd said.
