Cleveland - Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley announced that a grand jury has returned indictments charging ten individuals, ages 18 to 38, for crimes committed on May 30th, 2020, in downtown Cleveland.
“These individuals are just a handful of those who damaged or destroyed public buildings and police vehicles, and looted or destroyed dozens of private businesses,” said Prosecutor O’Malley.“We will hold these individuals accountable as well as any others who are later identified.We are thankful for the dedicated work all of our law enforcement partners put into these cases.”
“These indictments announced today by Prosecutor O’Malley and his team demonstrate the continued cooperation and partnership between all levels of law enforcement to hold individuals accountable for their actions from that day,” said U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman. “As I’ve said before in this process, all of us in law enforcement will continue to work together to identify, arrest, prosecute, and bring accountability to those individuals who were responsible for the widespread damage to the downtown neighborhood.”
“These ten individuals, along with the others previously charged, are only the beginning of identifying and holding criminals accountable for their despicable behavior on May 30th.These individuals wrecked our city, damaged and destroyed our businesses, and terrified business owners and citizens,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Eric B. Smith. “The FBI and our law enforcement and community partners will not cease to ensure all those that used the shield of legitimate protests for their criminal misconduct are appropriately charged."
“We all have a constitutional right to freedom of speech, including the right to peacefully protest,” stated Roland Herndon, ATF’s Special Agent in Charge for the Columbus Field Division. “However, when individuals choose violence and destruction, we must hold them accountable.ATF will continue to work with our partner agencies at the local, state, and federal level to protect the well-being of our community.”
“Our officers were on the front line, protecting against the attack on the Justice Center including the County Jail,” said Cuyahoga County Sheriff David Schilling.“While the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department defends every citizen’s right to a peaceful protest, we cannot allow the few to use the event on May 30th as a cover for their criminal violence.”
“The City of Cleveland continues to recognize individuals’ rights to free speech and assembly and we appreciate that recent demonstrations have remained peaceful,” said Cleveland Mayor Frank G. Jackson and Police Chief Calvin D. Williams. “The individuals who participated in the violence and destruction of our city on May 30, 2020 will be held accountable. In addition, we continue to look into matters of police misconduct on that day and have presented some of these investigations to the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor for review. If you have information on criminal activity, please contact law enforcement.”
Following the demonstrations, a task force was launched in cooperation with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Office, and Cleveland Division of Police (CDP).The joint investigation revealed the following:
·Teirrah Billups, 23, was involved in four separate criminal incidents at the Justice Center, Yours Truly Restaurant and Geiger’s Clothing on Euclid Avenue, and Dollar General on East 12th Street.During these incidents she used a baseball bat to damage property and stole numerous items.
- She is charged with one count of Aggravated Burglary, one count of Vandalism, one count of Theft, two counts of Breaking And Entering, and two counts of Aggravated Riot.
·Andre Decosta, 18, used a dolly to damage a CDP vehicle on West 3rd Street and destroyed cameras mounted on the Justice Center.
- He is charged with one count of Vandalism, one count of Disrupting Public Services, and one count of Aggravated Riot.
·Brian Copley, 38, broke into Karl’s Inn of the Barristers on West 3rd Street and stole items.
- He is charged with one count of Breaking And Entering, one count of Theft, and one count of Aggravated Riot.
·Kasin Lane, 21, used his bike to break out a window of the Cuyahoga County Courthouse Square Office Building on West 3rd Street and Lakeside Avenue.
- He is charged with one count of Vandalism, one count of Breaking And Entering, and one count of Aggravated Riot.
·Justin Tulloch, 22, damaged a CDP vehicle on Ontario Street in front of the Justice Center.
- He is charged with two counts of Vandalism and one count of Aggravated Riot.
·Chandler Knesebeck, 18, broke into the Boost Mobile store located in Public Square.
- He is charged with one count of Breaking And Entering and one count of Possessing Criminal Tools.
·Thomas Dimaria, 27, stole equipment from a CDP vehicle on Lakeside Avenue in front of the Justice Center.
- He is charged with one count of Theft, one count of Obstructing Official Business, and one count of Aggravated Riot.
·Aharon Schur, 33, damaged a CDP vehicle near West 3rd Street and Lakeside Avenue, and used a claw hammer to damage a Justice Center security terminal located at the West 3rd entrance.
- He is charged with two counts of Vandalism, one count of Criminal Damaging Or Endangering, and two counts of Aggravated Riot.
·Tanis Quach, 31, threw a large piece of concrete through one of the Justice Center windows.
- He is charged with two counts of Vandalism and one count of Aggravated Riot.
·Jessica Allen, 21, broke into Winking Lizard on Huron Road, damaged computer equipment and registers, and stole multiple items.
- She is charged with one count of Breaking And Entering, one count of Vandalism, one count of Theft, and one count of Aggravated Riot.
These individuals will be arraigned at the Cuyahoga County Justice Center at a later date.
Any further information involving unidentified suspects engaging in criminal activity on May 30th can be sent anonymously to Crime Stoppers of Cuyahoga County at (216)-25-CRIME or at their website.
© 2020 iHeartMedia, Inc.
Hear news updates at the top and bottom of the hour:wtam.com/listen