CLEVELAND — A Cleveland police officer is recovering after commotion that occurred with a group of individuals on dirt bikes on the Veterans Memorial Bridge Monday night.
According to investigators, two officers were sitting in their car at a traffic light in the area of West 25th and Detroit at around 9:30 p.m. on Monday when a group of individuals on dirt bikes approached the intersection.
A release states that officers turned their lights on and that bikers went around them and onto the Detroit Superior Bridge.
Police say once on the bridge, two of the bikes hit each other, causing one to fall over.
"One of the bikers was actually doing a wheelie and collided with another biker," Sgt. Freddy Diaz said.
As officers approached the bikers, the fallen dirt bike driver tried to get away and hit the cruiser.
While police tried to detain the rider, an officer was injured.
"One of the bikes ran over me," an officer can be heard saying to a dispatcher. "Lost some gear over here, one of the other bikes went down. I need a supervisor over here on the Second District side."
One Cleveland police officer was taken to the hospital and released for road rash.
"This is lawlessness. It shouldn’t be tolerated not only from law enforcement but our community," Diaz said. "We’ve heard complaints from city leaders, community members, law enforcement, this is something we need to work together to resolve."
Over the years, News 5 has covered this downtown problem extensively. For Andy Gasiewski, head of the Cleveland Police Patrolman's Association, it's time to crack down even more.
"It’s been a big issue," he said. "There’s only so much they can do with limited resources, but it does need to be addressed by the division. Whether it's bringing in state troopers to assist, or other agencies, something needs to be addressed with these ATVs, dirt bikes and motorcycles."
The names of the officers involved have not been released.
A 29-year-old man from Ashtabula was arrested. On Wednesday, News 5 learned the man has been charged with assault and a $40,000 bond was set.
Dirt bikes in Cleveland have been an issue for years. Back in 2022, Cleveland City Council unanimously passed an emergency ordinance that created a harsher punishment for dirt bikes.
