Mayor Bibb's Cleveland Police Escort Involved in Accident Downtown Thursday Morning

Mayor Justin Bibb was involved in a car accident downtown Thursday morning as he was being shuttled in a Cleveland Division of Police black Ford Expedition to City Hall.

Bibb’s SUV was heading north on East 12th around 9 a.m., surveillance video obtained by Fox 8 showed, when a westbound minivan smacked into the Expedition’s back end as the Cleveland police vehicle was coasting through what looks to be a red light.

EMS took Bibb to the hospital immediately as a precaution. City officials said that the mayor is still recovering as of Thursday afternoon, and did not suffer any major injuries. It’s unclear if the other driver suffered any injuries, but early reports showed no one suffered serious injuries.

In Channel 19’s reportage, witnesses to the accident said they saw Bibb “bleeding from his forehead.”

“I gave him a wipe to put on his head, to wipe the blood away,” one witness said. “People came across to give him water. But he seemed fine. He was a little woozy when he got out of the SUV.”

In a statement to Scene, a City Hall spokesperson said that Bibb’s driver “was engaged in emergency response driving”—flashing red and blue lights—as it was cautiously approaching Superior. The spokesperson did not say why the response was needed.

“The mayor, his driver and the other party involved are all fine,” the statement read.

“The Division of Police is currently investigating the incident and is following the process and procedure outlined for motor vehicle accidents,” it added. “There is no further information to share at this time.”

“He is OK,” a City Hall spokesperson texted Scene in an update Thursday afternoon. “I don’t have anything further at the moment.”

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