Cleveland mother claims teen who pointed gun at son was not sent to juvenile detention center

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – A Cleveland mother is furious after a group of teenagers tried to steal her car and pointed a gun at her child.

She claims Garfield Heights police arrested them less than an hour later following a chase, but the teens were released to their parents almost immediately.

“I just wish the juvenile justice system would step in and do something because this is just crazy at this point,” said the Cleveland mother, who wished to remain anonymous for safety reasons.

Garfield Heights police body camera video captures the tense moments when six children were arrested in a stolen Kia, which police pursued into Cleveland on Sunday afternoon.

A Cleveland mother claims the same teens pointed a gun at her 12-year-old son and tried to steal her family's car about 45 minutes earlier, and the entire incident was captured on her security camera.

She says the children didn't actually shoot. The loud bangs in the video were the sounds of her panicked son slamming the door.

“He came running and said something like, 'I'm going to pop it. I'm going to pop it, I swear to my grandma, I'm going to pop it,' and then they rushed, jumped in the car and flew away,” the mother said.

This family lives on Indiana Avenue at the corner of E. 71st Street. The mother was able to take a photo of her license plate and immediately called police. She says police quickly confirmed the Kia was stolen.

“There were probably about 10 police cars from Cleveland within five minutes, and as we were giving our statement, you could hear on the radio that they were actually chasing them at that point,” the mother recalled.

Garfield Heights police arrested the six teenagers on East 65th Street.

The case is now with Cleveland police and they have not confirmed if the suspects are the same, but the mother says her son went to the Garfield Heights police station and identified the two.

“He's really just telling me he doesn't want to leave the house and he doesn't want to play outside in your front yard,” the mother said. “And then, as you hear in the video, you hear them laughing, like, how funny is it that you're throwing a gun at a 12-year-old's head?”

According to Garfield Heights police, all six teenagers are considered suspects in seven car thefts and three attempted thefts.

According to police, all of the children were denied admission to the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Detention Center and released to their parents that same evening.

“That's nonsense in my opinion,” said the mother. “I spoke to the police immediately before they even released them to Cleveland and they said unfortunately it's out of our hands. We have to release them to Cleveland. I'm sorry to tell you this but I guarantee you they will be released and we asked how that is even possible. He said that the identification essentially helps the case but they have basically closed the case so now it's just a matter of waiting.”

The Cuyahoga County District Attorney's Office blames the Garfield Heights Police Department.

Lexi Bauer, communications specialist with the Cuyahoga County District Attorney's Office, sent 19 News the following statement: “Our office has made its stance on juvenile delinquency clear. We work tirelessly to hold juvenile offenders accountable and protect the community.”

In order for a juvenile to be admitted to the detention center under current admission criteria, the arresting authority must provide certain required information to both the detention center and the district attorney's office. This was not done by the Garfield Heights Police Department.

There was clearly a miscommunication in this case. We have discussed this matter with the Garfield Heights Police Department to ensure there are no misunderstandings in the future. We respect all of our law enforcement partners and look forward to continuing our partnership.”

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