‘This is still terrifying’: Police respond to multiple citywide, social media-organized ‘street takeovers’

Published

1 year ago

September 29, 2024

‘This is still terrifying’: Police respond to multiple citywide, social media-organized ‘street takeovers’

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO/Gray News) – Police in Cleveland said they responded to several “street takeovers” all across the city Saturday night.

According to Police Chief Dorothy Todd, the takeovers involved individuals shutting down traffic, shooting off fireworks, attempting to light fires and shooting at officers with pellet guns.

Todd said the calls came in for multiple locations of vehicles gathering and blocking traffic after 11 p.m.

Some of the locations included:

West 25th Street and Lorain
Roses Plaza on West 65th Street
Steelyard Commons
East 105th Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive
East 93rd Street and Opportunity Corridor
East 55th and Woodland Avenue
I-90 West Freeway near West 14th Street

Todd said I-90 had been shut down by the suspects who blocked traffic, shot off fireworks and tried to light fires.

She said they were unsuccessful at lighting the fires because of the wet roadways.

Melvyn Beck, a party bus driver, said his bus was stopped during the I-90 incident. He also said he filmed from inside the vehicle as a masked individual clung to his window.

Beck said his door was also defaced, and he called 911 20 times Saturday night.

Fortunately, no one on the bus was harmed.

Officials said at least one officer was hit by a pellet gun. Some residents also reported firearms that were pointed at them.

However, Todd said there were no serious injuries.

“But this is still terrifying,” she said.

The Cleveland Police Department said an Instagram post Saturday evening warned of these events, which were allegedly organized by someone from Cincinnati.

Police said they were monitoring the activity to see if the incidents would happen.

“Unfortunately, they did show up in the area,” Todd said.

The vehicles seen in the areas had license plates suggesting they were both local and from out of town.

These sort of incidents have occurred in a number of major cities, according to Todd. She said this may have been a part of a social media trend.

“This is more than a traffic issue. These are felony crimes,” Todd said.

Officials said they will continue to work to identify these involved individuals.

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37 individuals indicted in Northeast Ohio drug ring, more than 6 kilograms of drugs seized

Published

12 minutes ago

December 16, 2025

Press Room

37 individuals indicted in Northeast Ohio drug ring, more than 6 kilograms of drugs seized

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley announced that the Cuyahoga County grand jury returned an indictment of 37 individuals for their involvement in a drug trafficking organization.

The drug trafficking organization is also linked to three overdose deaths.

The investigation led to over six kilograms of drugs seized, over $240,000 in cash was seized and 15 firearms were taken, which some of the firearms were reported stolen, according to a press release from the prosecutor’s office.

On Aug. 16, 2024, John Lee, 56, was found dead in a home from a suspended overdose near E 71st Street and Indiana Avenue in Cleveland.

The Cleveland Division of Police Narcotics Unit investigated and learned the supplied narcotics were linked to the drug trafficking organization, the release said.

On Sept. 17, 2024, Angela Staehr, 41, was found dead in a home from a suspected overdose near Sackett Avenue and Rhodes Court in Cleveland.

The CPD Narcotics Unit also investigated and found the supplied narcotics were also linked to the same drug trafficking organization that supplied Lee.

According to the press release, the investigation was conducted by the CPD Narcotics Unit and was assisted by the Euclid Police Department, the Ohio High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area and the U.S. Marshals.

Following the investigation, 37 individuals involved in the drug trafficking organization’s supply chain were identified.

The release said the drug trafficking organization was utilizing multiple locations to store, manufacture and distribute narcotics.

Throughout the investigation, search warrants were conducted in 12 locations that resulted in the seizure over over six kilograms of fentanyl, xylazine, cocaine and methamphetamine.

Additionally, resulting in the seizures of over $240,000 in cash and the 15 firearms, several of which were reported stolen.

The investigation also linked a third previously unsolved overdose case that happened in 2022, the over dose death of Amanda Garrison, 26, in Cleveland, the release said.

“This indictment reflects the strong collaboration between the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office and our law enforcement partners. By dismantling this organization, we are removing dangerous individuals, lethal narcotics, and stolen firearms from our community. These arrests will save lives throughout northeast Ohio,” Prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley said.

On Nov. 25, 2025, the 37 individuals were indicted on a total of 180 charges, some of which included:

Engaging in a Pattern of Corrupt Activity
Involuntary Manslaughter
Aggravated Drug Funding
Drug Trafficking
Drug Possession
Illegal Manufacturing
Having Weapons Under Disability

On Saturday, an arrest operation was held by the U.S. Marshals Service and CPD.

The individuals will be arraigned at the Cuyahoga County Justice Center at a later date, the press release said.

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Cleveland, OH

Frigid Monday in NE Ohio gives way to warmup, rain later this week

Published

12 hours ago

December 15, 2025

Press Room

Frigid Monday in NE Ohio gives way to warmup, rain later this week

CLEVELAND, Ohio — One more frigid day stands between Northeast Ohio and a brief warmup that will bring the region its first above-average temperatures since the day before Thanksgiving.

Cold, gray weather will remain in control across the region on Monday, with lingering lake-effect snow bringing minor accumulations to parts of the snowbelt before conditions gradually quiet down after a snow-filled weekend.

The periods of light snow continue early Monday in far northeastern Ohio, especially eastern Cuyahoga, Lake, Geauga and Ashtabula counties, where an additional inch or two of accumulation is possible through the evening, according to the National Weather Service in Cleveland.

Lake-effect snow showers could bring some minor accumulations to far Northeast Ohio on Monday, Dec. 15, 2025.Courtesy National Weather Service

While snowfall rates are expected to remain light, brief coatings of snow are possible on untreated roads, particularly in the snowbelt.

Elsewhere across Northeast Ohio, conditions will stay mostly dry, though skies remain mostly cloudy and temperatures will remain well below normal. Afternoon highs will struggle to climb out of the upper teens to lower 20s.

Lake-effect snow will gradually shift east and weaken later Monday as winds turn more southwesterly. Any lingering snow showers should wind down overnight, with little additional accumulation expected. Lows across the region will be in the low to mid teens.

Milder Tuesday brings break from deep freeze

Skies will turn sunnier early Tuesday before clouds increase later in the day as winds turn breezy from the southwest. Temperatures will climb into the mid 30s — a noticeable step up from recent days and enough to push most of Northeast Ohio above freezing during the afternoon.

Dry weather is expected to hold through the day and into Tuesday night as high pressure slides east, keeping travel impacts minimal ahead of a more active pattern later in the week.

Windy, wet storm brings first above-average temperatures in weeks

Map of Northern Ohio with yellow shading showing expected high temperatures in the upper 40s on Dec. 18 — Look at those temperatures! Highs on Thursday are expected to climb into the upper 40s across Northeast Ohio — the region’s first above-average day since the day before Thanksgiving.Courtesy National Weather Service

Northeast Ohio’s brief warmup will continue through Wednesday, with highs climbing to around 40 degrees, before peaking Thursday as the warmest day of the week.

A strong storm system is expected to move through the Great Lakes on Thursday, pushing temperatures into the upper 40s — the area’s first above-average day since Nov. 26, according to the National Weather Service.

But that warmth will come with consequences. As the system moves through, it’s expected to bring gusty winds and widespread rain.

That rain is expected to overspread the region Thursday into early Thursday night, with rainfall totals around a half-inch likely and localized amounts approaching an inch possible. Mild temperatures and rising humidity will lead to noticeable snowmelt, though widespread river flooding is not expected.

Wind gusts could reach 35 to 40 mph, particularly during the warm, southwest flow Thursday and again along the lakeshore following a strong cold front Thursday night.

A flash freeze is possible late Thursday night as temperatures drop sharply behind the cold front, falling from the upper 40s into the low 20s by early Friday. Rain may briefly change to snow before ending, with only minor accumulation expected.

Lake-effect snow possible Friday, milder weekend ahead

Graphic showing five-day weather forecast for Cleveland, Ohio, Dec. 15-19 — Northeast Ohio will finally see some warmer temperatures later this week, but that will also mean rain.cleveland.com

Colder air pouring over Lake Erie on Friday could trigger a round of lake-effect snow, mainly in the primary snowbelt east of Cleveland. At this point, forecasters say the setup looks more like an advisory-level event rather than a major storm, with snow tapering off by Friday night as high pressure builds in.

Temperatures will rebound again this weekend, with highs climbing back into the 40s Saturday before another system brings rain late Saturday into Saturday night. High pressure is expected to return Sunday, keeping the up-and-down temperature pattern in place heading into the days before Christmas.

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