Cleveland, OH
Cleveland mom claims teens who pointed a gun at her son were denied admission to juvie
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – A Cleveland mother is furious after she says a group of teens tried to steal her car and pointed a gun at her child.
She claims Garfield Heights police arrested them following a police pursuit less than an hour later, but the juveniles were released to their parents almost immediately.
“I just wish the juvenile system would step up and do something because this is just insane at this point,” the Cleveland mother, who wants to remain anonymous for safety reasons, said.
Garfield Heights police body camera video shows the tense moments six kids were arrested driving a stolen Kia. Police chased them into Cleveland Sunday afternoon.
A Cleveland mother claims the same teens pointed a gun at her 12-year-old son and tried to carjack her family about 45 minutes earlier. The whole thing was captured on her surveillance camera.
She says the kids didn’t actually shoot. The loud bangs in the video were the sounds of her panicked preteen son slamming the door.
“He came running he’s like, ‘I’ll pop it. I’ll pop it, I swear on on my Granny, I’ll pop it’ and then they hurried up and they jumped in the car and then they flew off,” the mom said.
The mom said she was able to get a photo of their license plate and called police right away. She says police quickly confirmed the Kia was stolen.
“Probably within like five minutes, there was like 10 Cleveland cop cars, and in the process of us giving our statement, you could hear on the radio that they were actually in pursuit of chasing them at that time,” the mother recalled.
Garfield Heights police arrested the six juveniles on E. 65th Street.
The case is now in Cleveland police’s hands, and they have not confirmed if these are the same suspects, but this mother says her son went to the Garfield Heights police station and identified them.
“He really just tells me he doesn’t want to go out the house, and he just doesn’t want to play outside in your front yard,” said the mother. “So, and then, as you hear in the video, you hear them laughing, like, how is that funny that you pointed a gun at a 12-year-old?”
Garfield Heights police say all six teens are suspects in seven car thefts and three attempted thefts.
Police say all the kids were denied acceptance to the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Detention Center and released to their parents that same night.
“It’s bullcrap in my eyes,” the mother said. “I talked to the cops right away, before they even released them to Cleveland, and they said, unfortunately, it’s out of our hands. We have to release them to Cleveland. I’m sorry to tell you, but I guarantee they’re going to get let go and we asked, how is that even possible? He said that pretty much identifying helps the case, but they pretty much had the case sealed, so now it’s just a waiting game.”
The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s office is placing the blame on the Garfield Heights Police Department.
Lexi Bauer, Communications Specialist with the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office sent 19 News the following statement, “Our office has been outspoken on our stance on juvenile crime. We work diligently to hold juvenile offenders accountable and to protect the community.
In order for a juvenile to be admitted to the Detention Center, under current admission criteria, there is certain requisite information that must be provided to both the Detention Center and the Prosecutor’s Office by the arresting agency. This was not done by the Garfield Heights Police Department.
There was clearly a breakdown of communication in this instance. We have discussed this matter with the Garfield Heights Police Department to ensure miscommunications do not happen in the future. We respect all of our law enforcement partners and look forward to continuing our partnership.”
Copyright 2024 WOIO. All rights reserved.
Oh, there’s no place like home for the holidays, which is why you’ll want to check out these fun activities happening across Northeast Ohio.
We break down all the different types of events happening in the area.
Tree lightings
Wade Oval
Wade Oval will be hosting Illuminate the Circle on Nov. 23 from 5-8 p.m.
The lights will be turned on daily from Nov. 24 until Jan. 26.
NELA Park
NELA Park Holiday Lighting Ceremony showcases GE Lighting ‘Holiday Delighter’
NELA Park Holiday Lighting Ceremony will be celebrating its 100-year anniversary this year.
The ceremony will take place on Dec. 6.
WinterLAND
Brian Sobolewski
On Nov. 30, make sure you head down to Public Square to watch the lights turn on across Cleveland.
The annual tree-lighting will be part of a day of celebrations and family-friendly experiences across Cleveland.
For more information, click here.
Annual traditions
Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad
All aboard!
The holiday season is here, which means the North Pole Adventure on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad has returned.
The event that runs through December 20 has something to offer for the entire family and guest appearances from Santa Claus and his elves.
For more information and tickets, click here.
Wild Winter Lights
Wild Winter Lights returns next month
The popular Wild Winter Lights event will take over the zoo from Nov. 12 until Dec. 30.
The event features more than one and a half million lights strung across multiple holiday-themed areas in the zoo.
For more information, click here.
Magic of Lights
Magic of Lights drive-thru more than doubles traffic as families safely celebrate holiday season
Magic of Lights is returning to the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds this holiday season.
The light show opens on Nov. 27 and closes on Jan. 4.
Click here for more information.
Performances
Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Carsten Steinhausen
It wouldn’t be the holidays without the Trans-Siberian Orchestra coming to town.
This year, their concert is on Dec. 27 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
To learn more, click here.
Cleveland Orchestra
Roger Mastroianni/Roger Mastroianni
The Cleveland Orchestra
CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA CHORUS,
MEMBERS OF THE BLOSSOM FESTIVAL CHORUS
CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA CHILDREN’S CHORUS
Brett Mitchell, conductor
Lisa Wong, conductor
CAPATHIA JENKINS, vocal
Photo by Roger Mastroianni
The Cleveland Orchestra might perform concerts year-round, but during the month of December, they perform sounds of the holiday season.
The holiday concerts are performed from Dec. 11 through the 22.
For more information, click here.
The Nutcracker
The beloved holiday show, The Nutcracker, will be taking over Playhouse Square.
Come and watch the Cleveland Ballet perform the holiday classic.
For more information, click here.
A Christmas Carol
Even if you’re a Scrooge, you will enjoy this show.
A Christmas Carol will be performed at Playhouse Square from Nov. 24 until Dec. 23.
For more information, click here.
Winter break camps
Great Lakes Science Center
Great Lakes Science Center 
The Science Center will be hosting STEM camps from Dec. 23 until Dec. 37 and from Dec. 30 to Jan. 3.
Kids will learn about space, chemistry, engineering and more.
Click hereto learn more.
Indoor activities
Cleveland Museum of Art
Photo by Kaylyn Hlavaty.
Looking for something fun and free to do while your kids are off school?
Head to the Cleveland Museum of Art to check out their new exhibits.
For more information, click here.
Natural History Museum
Drew Scofield | News 5 Cleveland
Have you missed going to the history museum? They reopen on Dec. 15.
For more information, click here.
News 5 currently has sponsorship agreements with University Circle, Inc., organizer of the Wade Oval holidays events; Live Nation, organizer of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert; and the Great Lakes Science Center, host of the holiday camps.
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO)—High winds on Wednesday brought down power lines and trees, leaving tens of thousands without power in northern Ohio.
As of 4 p.m., FirstEnergy’s website says there are just over 10,000 customers without power, Cleveland Public Power is not reporting any widespread outages and AEP is reporting 7,100.
Click your power company link above for the latest outage information.
Wind Advisories have been issued for Lorain, Cuyahoga, Lake, Geauga and Ashtabula counties until midnight tonight. In these counties, winds could gust 50 to 60 mph for several hours this afternoon and evening.
Click here for the latest from the 19 News First Alert Weather Team.
Copyright 2024 WOIO. All rights reserved.
Sheldon changes offseason plans, joins Ohio State coaching staff
Former Ohio State guard Jacy Sheldon rejoins the Buckeyes women’s basketball team as director of player development after an injury derailed her WNBA offseason
With WNBA expansion on the horizon, multiple reports say that Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert intends to make a bid to bring a franchise back to Cleveland.
WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert has talked about the league having 16 teams by the 2028 season. The league will be at 13 teams to start the 2025 season with the addition of the Golden State Valkyries. Toronto and Portland, Oregon have already been announced as the home of future franchises.
Gilbert, whose Rock Entertainment Group also owns the Columbus Blue Jackets’ AHL affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters, in addition to the Cavaliers told CNBC, “I just feel extraordinarily confident that, should a team be given to Cleveland, in part because of the city, in part because of what sports means here, in part because of the Cavs, it would immediately be a huge success.”
Cavaliers CEO Nic Barlage also spoke to CNBC, which was the first to report on the bid, about the potential of the WNBA finding a home in Cleveland.
“We have this unique convergence of infrastructure, culture and these foundational pieces that we think make Northeast Ohio, and specifically Cleveland, a great opportunity to expand from a WNBA perspective,” he said.
Cleveland hosted one of the WNBA’s eight original teams. From 1997 to 2003, the Cleveland Rockets competed in the league before the franchise folded due to low attendance.
Last year, Columbus added a professional women’s team to its city, as it welcomed the Pro Volleyball Federation’s Columbus Fury.
Columbus also had its own professional women’s basketball team, the Columbus Quest, which lasted two seasons from 1996-1998 in the now-defunct America Basketball League.
bmackay@dispatch.com
Planned Parenthood says requests for birth control spiked in Maine after Trump election
Iowa at Maryland Best Bet: Odds, Predictions, Recent Stats, and Trends for November 23rd
2025 cornerback from Georgia gets Michigan State football offer
Weird laws in Massachusetts including a $20 fine, possible jail time for frightening a pigeon
Hennepin County looks to spread the word of Minnesota’s red flag law
Colorado Rockies game no. 116 thread: Zac Gallen vs José Ureña
See it: Tesla crashes into Columbus convention center at 70 mph
Fox News Politics: Georgia the whole day through
Why Marjorie Taylor Greene was ‘kicked out’ of the Freedom Caucus according to Rep. Buck
Death of missing Oregon girl found in stream ruled homicide
Ted Cruz urges White House to halt $1.25B in 'digital equity' funds
UK imposes sanctions on Isabel dos Santos, Ukrainian oligarch Firtash
This year's FAFSA is officially open. Early review says it's 'a piece of cake'
Read the Verdict in the Civil Case Against Amber Guyger
Democrat Tammy Baldwin details recipe for running in a swing state after victory in Trump-won Wisconsin
-
Business1 week ago
Column: OpenAI just scored a huge victory in a copyright case … or did it?
-
Health1 week agoBird flu leaves teen in critical condition after country's first reported case
-
Business5 days agoColumn: Molly White's message for journalists going freelance — be ready for the pitfalls
-
World1 week agoSarah Palin, NY Times Have Explored Settlement, as Judge Sets Defamation Retrial
-
Politics4 days agoTrump taps FCC member Brendan Carr to lead agency: 'Warrior for Free Speech'
-
Science2 days agoTrump nominates Dr. Oz to head Medicare and Medicaid and help take on 'illness industrial complex'
-
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25739950/247386_Elon_Musk_Open_AI_CVirginia.jpg "Inside Elon Musk’s messy breakup with OpenAI")
Technology3 days agoInside Elon Musk’s messy breakup with OpenAI
-
Lifestyle4 days agoSome in the U.S. farm industry are alarmed by Trump's embrace of RFK Jr. and tariffs
