CLEVELAND — East Cleveland police officers shot an 18-year-old man after a pursuit of a stolen vehicle Thursday, Chief of Police Scott P. Gardner said in a release.
At around 12:30 a.m., uniformed officers initiated a pursuit of a stolen vehicle occupied by three males.
The pursuit ended on East 105th Street and South Boulevard. All occupants ran out of the vehicle, police said.
Officers started a foot pursuit for the driver who had allegedly jumped out of the vehicle with a firearm in his hand, the release stated.
The driver allegedly raised a weapon sideways while running from officers, at which time officers shot the driver. A gun was recovered at the scene, police said.
The male driver was transported to University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center where his condition is unknown at this time.
In the release, Gardner said the Cleveland Police Homicide Unit is handling the investigation.
Cell phone video recorded the scene shows rescuers loading the teen on a stretcher moments after he was shot.
Erimius Spencer, who lives nearby, said he and his family heard it all happen.
"I just heard gunshots," Spencer said. "I just heard gunshots."
The shooting hits home for Spencer. Literally. It brings back painful memories of his own encounters with police. He settled a federal lawsuit accusing Euclid police of brutality after he said he was repeatedly tased and kicked in the face by officers in December 2016.
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"I got bad PTSD, so it kind of messed with me. But, you just wonder when it is going to stop. We're all trying to figure out when it is going to stop," Spencer said.
Spencer said he doesn't know enough of the facts about the shooting that happened to have an opinion on whether or not police were justified. Authorities say the teen is alive and in the hospital, but haven't provided specifics.
Spencer said the entire incident, paired with other cases involving the use-of-force by police nationwide, has left a sense of uneasiness.
It's said to see that this is still going on in our country," said Spencer. "It's sad."
