Incident Report # 15-1676 Page 2 of 5 Responsible Officer: Shuster Agency: RTA Received By: Sellers 308 Last Radio Log: 17:49:11 07/26/15 CLR How Received: T Telephone Clearance: RT Report Taken When Reported: 16:41:57 07/26/15 Disposition: ACT Date: 07/26/15 Judicial Status: Occurred between: 16:41:42 07/26/15 Misc Entry: and: 16:41:42 07/26/15 Modus Operandi: Description : Method : Involvements Date Type Description
Incident Report # 15-1676 Page 3 of 5 Narrative On Sunday July, 26 2015, Ptl. Horton #24 and I Ptl. Shuster #101 were assigned to patrol the RTA Healthline in the City of Cleveland. While on patrol at approximately 1637 hours my partner (Ptl. Horton) and I (Ptl. Shuster) boarded Healthline coach 2904 at E. 30th Healthline shelter (2913 Euclid Ave Cleveland OH). I boarded the coach at the rear door; my partner boarded the coach at the middle door. Once onboard I made eye contact with my partner and gave thumbs up as to indicate that we both see each other and were good to ride. After the doors closed and the coach pulled away, my partner and I announced to all passenger to have their valid proof of payment (fare cards) out and ready for inspection. I started checking passengers seated in the rear of the coach when I looked over my shoulder to check on my partner and noticed a juvenile male who was later identified as, passed out, slumped over in his seat and drooling. I approached to check on his welfare and shouted "Sir, you okay"? did not respond. I tapped on his right arm with my hand to attempt to arouse him also shouting loudly again "Sir, you okay"? At that time lifted his head and opened his eyes. While attempting to arouse, I notice sitting together on the seat next to him, his cell phone and plastic bag containing a bottle of suspected alcoholic beverage with the writing Beach Dai- Q- Ri on it. The blue seal ring clearly broken and a different cap that was green in color on the top. I asked if the items next to him were his. then made a furtive movement toward the bag in attempt to secure it. closed his eyes and began to fall out of consciousness again. I again had to awaken him and picked up the bottle to inspect it further. I removed the cap on the bottle and smelled its contents; it smelled of an alcoholic beverage. I asked again, is this stuff yours? replied"yeah". I asked where he got the bottle of alcohol but he did not say. At that time I asked to exit the coach with me at the next stop (E. 24th west bound shelter 2351 Euclid Ave Cleveland OH) to further investigate the situation. I assisted up out of his seat; collected his property (cell phone and bag containing the suspected alcoholic beverage) and began to escort off the coach. My partner (who had already exited the coach with an adult fare evader) stepped back on the coach to check on my safety observed me escort off the coach without incident. While escorting off the coach I asked him where he was going, he replied with "the Healthline thing". His speech was slurred and his eyes appear to be blood shot. I then placed in handcuffs stating that he was not under arrest; he was just being detained for his safety and mine. I sat him down and collected his name, date of birth, mothers name and a phone number. My partner notified RTA dispatch of our location and that we were out with a one adult fare evader and one possibly intoxicated juvenile. I gave information to RTA dispatch to check for juvenile wants and warrants. My partner cited and sent the adult he had stopped for fare evasion with a warning and then came to assist me. While waiting to hear if was clear of any wants or warrants a crowd began to gather outside of the shelter asking why we had him in handcuffs. They were ordered to step back and observe from a safe distance. The crowd began to grow with more people stepping up on the platform and began recording on their cell phones and trying to talk to. Due to the growing crowd I was not able to obtain any further information as I was more concerned for the safety of, my partner and myself. Ptl. Dorko #99 in marked unit #966 arrived on scene to assist. A female (name unknown) of the crowd asked for his mother's phone number. That unknown female was informed by us that we will handle calling a parent or guardian. blurted out to her his mother phone number. Ptl. Horton and Ptl. Dorko were blocking the crowd from entering the shelter and the ability for them to have any communication with (for his safety).
Incident Report # 15-1676 Page 4 of 5 As the crowd of rioters began to grow exponentially, Ptl. Dorko called over the radio to dispatch that a large crowd was gathering to send another unit to assist. A short time later a CSUPD unit #153 pulled up to our location to assist. It was decided that due to the large crowd forming and becoming hostile and aggressive, that we needed to move to CSUPD headquarters for his safety and ours. We escorted to marked RTA police unit #966 where Ptl. Dorko and Ptl. Horton were to convey him to safety at CSUPD. I joined CSUPD unit #153 to follow unit #966. The rioters then began swarming unit #966 beating on the windows, grabbing the push bar and jouncing the car up and down and hindering it from moving. CSUPD officer John Calabrese #12 and I in CSUPD unit #153 could not move either. RTA unit #950 (Sgt. Schwab #913) along with multiple other marked police units of various departments showed up to help remove the rioters that had swarmed around unit#966. Sgt. Schwab made an announcement over his PA system from unit #950 to disperse at once and allow unit #966 to leave. The hostile rioters ignored the command to disperse. At that time we exited CSUPD unit #153 and went over to RTA unit #966 and attempted to get the rioters off and back of unit #966. The rioters had grown in size of approximately a hundred or so hostile and aggressive people. Ptl. Horton, Sgt. Schwab, Ptl. Calabrese (CSU patrolman) and few other CSU patrolmen continued in attempt to free unit #966 pushing the crowd back in order to convey to the safety of CSUPD headquarters. We were only able to get the rioters only slight back away from unit #966 when more and more hostile people began showing up on scene aiding in the already very large hostile rioters pushing through us to get to unit #966. We gave loud verbal commands to back away and disperse. The rioters began to link arms together pushing their way towards us and throwing objects at us. We all continued to give loud verbal commands to disperse which had become ineffective. Sgt. Schwab loudly stating that if they did not disperse and let the car out they would be pepper sprayed. The rioters ignored the command and were sprayed with pepper spray. The front line of rioters moved after being sprayed and was quickly replaced with an equally aggressive amount rioting people. Sgt. Schwab asked us if anyone had pepper spray on them which I did, un-holstering my pepper spray and handing to Sgt. Schwab. Sgt. Schwab gave the same loud verbal commands to the rioters who ignored the commands pushing their way forward and us back towards unit #966. Sgt. Schwab then released a second burst of pepper spray upon the rioters. The rioters still would not disperse and linked up arms again and sat in the middle of Euclid Ave chanting loudly "No justice, No peace"! "Pigs in a blanket smell like bacon"! I had found out later that, who was still in unit #966 made a comment to Ptl. Dorko that he was scared and wanted to get out of there as the rioters swarmed the car. Ptl. Dorko and were trapped in unit #966 for approximately 10-15 minutes. Cleveland EMS and mother arrived on scene. They both were taken over to unit #966. EMS took out of unit#966 and escorted him and his mother to the ambulance. We formed a perimeter around the paramedics and and as they walked over to the ambulance. Once in the ambulance was examined by the paramedics. A perimeter was also formed around the ambulance while was being examined. Once EMS medically cleared he was escorted off the ambulance to a brown GMC Envoy outside of the ambulance where he was released on scene to his mother. realized he did not have his cell phone, which was with the bottle of suspected alcohol I confiscated and had secured in CSU unit #153. I retrieved his cell phone and met up with unit #966 and transported it down the street where I met and his mother and returned his phone. We then headed over to CSUPD headquarters while the crowds continued to disperse. We arrived at CSUPD at approximately 1745 hours. We left CSUPD at approximately 1800 hours and headed back to TPHQ. While en root to TPHQ we notified Sgt. Schwab that the
Incident Report # 15-1676 Page 5 of 5 rioters have dispersed from the area. We arrived at TPHQ at approximately 1823 hours to meet with Lt. Gettings and Lt. Hudson who were briefed on the situation. I logged the confiscated open bottle of Beach Dai- Q- Ri suspected alcoholic beverage as evidence and placed it in interim locker #2 for safe keeping. RMS #15-227728