OHIO — Authorities arrested 10 people and seized nine firearms Thursday during a coordinated violent crime reduction initiative in Cleveland.
The operation included several high-profile incidents. Around 5:35 p.m., Cleveland Police and Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers attempted to stop a white Jeep on the city’s east side.
The driver, 26-year-old Javion Griffie, initially fled with two young children in the car. The OSHP Aviation Unit followed the vehicle until Griffie stopped at a gas station and the children exited safely.
Griffie drove recklessly through downtown, side-swiping another car, before fleeing on foot. He was later found hiding in a dumpster and taken into custody at the Cuyahoga County Jail. The children were released to family members.
The Ohio Investigative Unit made seven arrests during the initiative, seizing seven illegal firearms. In one case, agents discovered a man trespassing at a downtown gas station carrying a firearm and ammunition. He was taken into custody and had an active domestic violence warrant along with a criminal history including robbery and aggravated robbery charges.
Later in the evening, troopers attempted to stop a blue Dodge Challenger Hellcat at 7:17 p.m. The driver, 23-year-old Tquylin Linder, fled and drove erratically before striking another vehicle. Linder was eventually apprehended on a dead-end street, and two illegally possessed firearms were recovered from the car.
Thursday’s initiative involved multiple agencies, including the Cleveland Division of Police, Ohio State Highway Patrol, Ohio Investigative Unit, Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, Ohio Narcotics Intelligence Center, Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Marshals Service, ATF, FBI, DEA, and the U.S. Department of Justice.
