63 Cleveland Officers Suspended for Deadly Pursuit

More than 60 Cleveland police officers received suspensions for improperly joining a deadly November chase that left two unarmed suspects dead in a hail of police gunfire, Chief Michael McGrath announced Tuesday.

The chief announced suspensions of no more than 10 days each for 63 of the more than 100 Cleveland Division of Police officers who participated in the Nov. 29 chase of Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams. These officers are not among the 13 who fired 137 rounds at Russell and Williams near an East Cleveland middle school.

The 178 suspension days will be distributed among the 63 officers. Chief McGrath told the Plain Dealer that officers under a stressful situation must "follow your rules and procedures" to avoid "some type of chaos or problems."

The suspensions come as the second phase of disciplinary measures stemming from the pursuit. In June, 12 supervisors were disciplined, including one sergeant who was fired.

The department will next focus on the 13 officers who fired rounds at the suspects and their 1979 Chevrolet Malibu SS.

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