Of the 13 officers who fired that night, 12 are white and one is Hispanic. The driver and passenger in the car chase were black, unarmed -- and were both killed.
Nine of those officers are suing the city, claiming discrimination, civil rights violations, breach of contract and loss of additional income.
The complaint says they were assigned unfairly to longer stints of gym duty than black officers had been.
None of the officers who opened fire that night was black. But the lawsuit claims in other cases, black officers haven't been treated as severely for shooting black residents as have non-black officers.
One of the officers who fired his gun two years ago has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter charges in the case. He is not a plaintiff in the lawsuit.
Since the shooting, residents at public forums and protests have pointed to the racial divide in the case as evidence that black Clevelanders face harsher treatment by police than do white residents.
Last month, a judge approved a $3 million settlement from the city for the families of Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams, the driver and passenger killed by police.
In 2009, three white police officers who shot and killed two black residents reached settlements with Cleveland after accusing the city of discrimination.
