By Olivia Mitchell
cleveland.com
CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department on Tuesday released body camera footage of an armed carjacking suspect who engaged in a gunfight with officers in a nearly hour-long pursuit through Cleveland.
Reuben Bell, 38, of Cleveland, was in critical condition after being shot by authorities on Jan. 6, following four carjackings across multiple Cleveland communities. On Friday, he was charged in Cleveland’s Municipal Court with three counts of felonious assault against a peace officer. Prosecutors are expected to bring additional charges against Bell, who is due back in court Wednesday.
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Body camera videos from two deputies show the suspect with a gun in his right hand, which he waved at officers during the chase, a deputy said in the video.
Authorities deployed stop sticks to pop Bell’s tires, but he continued driving for 15 minutes.
“I don’t know how he is still moving,” a deputy says as the suspect continues to flee.
The pursuit, which involved two Cleveland police officers and a pair of Cuyahoga County deputy sheriffs, spanned multiple of the city’s districts and briefly entered Shaker Heights.
According to Police Chief Dorothy Todd, authorities used a precision immobilization technique, also known as a PIT maneuver, to stop the car. That maneuver, which typically causes a car to spin to a stop, was used near South Moreland Boulevard and Ashwood Road before the vehicle crashed into a parked car, according to county spokeswoman Jennifer Ciaccia.
“He’s pointing a gun at me,” a deputy yells in the footage. “Give me space. He’s on the front driver rim.”
After the vehicle stops, the suspect fires multiple shots at Cleveland police officers and sheriff’s deputies. Two Cleveland officers and two sheriff’s deputies return gunfire. At least a dozen shots could be heard in the video.
“Drop the gun,” authorities instruct the suspect multiple times.
Authorities say they administered aid to Bell before he was transported to University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center. No officers or deputies were injured during the incident. Per policy, the four officers were placed on administrative leave following the shooting.
The pursuit began just before 9 p.m. when police responded to the first carjacking. Two carjackings occurred near the 4200 block of West 150th Street. Bell is accused of another carjacking in the 6500 block of Quimby Road around 9:20 p.m., followed by a fourth on East 79th Street and Superior Avenue.
The Cleveland Division of Police Force Investigation Team is investigating the incident.
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