A 14-year-old boy from Ohio was seriously injured after being shot by a police officer during an investigation into car break-ins in Cleveland.
The incident occurred early Saturday morning as officers from the Cleveland Police Vice Unit were looking into over 30 recent car break-ins in the Midtown area. Around 2 a.m., they noticed a car with three passengers parked in the driveway of a vacant house on East 146th Street. When the police attempted to approach the vehicle, the passengers drove away, leading the police on a pursuit down St. Clair Avenue.
Later, around 3:20 a.m., the officers spotted the same car, identified as a stolen Kia Sportage, returning to the same location. At approximately 4 a.m., they approached the Kia and found the boy sleeping in the driver’s seat. According to the police, when he woke up, he shifted the car into gear and accidentally struck a police vehicle.
Police allege that the boy then put the car in reverse, hitting a garage, before driving toward the officers. An unnamed officer opened fire, hitting the boy in the right shoulder.
Emergency services were called, and the boy was taken to UH Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital. He has since been released from the hospital.
Authorities mentioned that the 14-year-old and another teenager had previous charges and were supposed to be monitored electronically, but they had cut off their monitors. Police also recovered a gun from the Kia and verified that one of the suspects had been seen with a firearm on video.
The incident is now under investigation by the police department’s use-of-force team, and the officer involved has been placed on administrative leave.
