A Cuyahoga County grand jury on Wednesday handed down 10 indictments related to the rioting in Downtown Cleveland on May 30.
The 10 people indicted range in age from 18 to 38, with aggravated riot, theft and vandalism the most frequent charges.
Prosecutors say 23-year-old Teirrah Billups was involved in four separate criminal incidents at the Justice Center and is accused of using a baseball bat to damage property at Yours Truly and Geiger's on Euclid Avenue. Several others are charged with damaging the Justice Center and four are accused of either damaging or stealing equipment from Cleveland Police cruisers.
"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,” Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley said in a Wednesday press release. “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.”
Those charged will be arraigned at the Cuyahoga County Justice Center at a later date, according to the press release. More May 30 incidents remain under investigation.
In the aftermath of protests that began peacefully in Willard Park and later turned violent and spread through Downtown from the Justice Center to Playhouse Square, federal agencies worked with the Cleveland Police and the county sheriff’s office to form a task force to investigate and identify suspects.
“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."
Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson instituted a curfew as of 8:00 p.m. on May 30 in response to the destruction of public and private property. The main commercial district in Ohio City, from West 25th to West 28th Street between Detroit and Lorain avenues, was added to the curfew the following night and the lockdown continued through June 2.
Peaceful protests continued across Northeast Ohio in the following weeks.
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