Curfew: 153 Violators Arrested
Thursday Night Remains Relatively Calm
Police arrested 153 people for violating curfew during the first night of a state of emergency in Cincinnati.
In addition, 54 adults were arrested for other offenses, and nine juveniles were arrested. Five of the juveniles were cited for curfew violations, WLWT Eyewitness News 5 reported.
City officials instituted the 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew in response to protesting, looting and vandalism that began Monday afternoon and continued for three nights.
Cheviot and Norwood also instituted a curfew during those hours, but there is no word on how many arrests were made in those communities.
The streets were virtually empty most of the evening, WLWT reported.
A few people challenged the curfew, but police officers were "pretty active" in enforcing it, Cincinnati police chief Tom Streicher said.
The most serious damage Thursday was the result of an arson fire set a the Redwood Deli in Kennedy Heights. Damage was estimated at $100,000, Streicher said.
The people arrested for curfew would be jailed and charged with a misdemeanor, the chief said.
Officials have not decided how many nights the curfew will be enforced. Streicher said that he thought it would be enforced through the weekend, but may be lifted sooner if the next few nights are peaceful.
WLWT Eyewitness News 5's Teri Barr reported that there has been relatively little violence Thursday night during the citywide curfew.
Officers fired non-lethal beanbag guns several times. One person was hit with the beanbags four times and was taken to a hospital, Barr reported.
Mayor Charles Luken signed the order enacting the curfew at 10:27 a.m. Thursday, in response to unrest that has broken out during the past three nights.
"The time has come for us to enact serious measures to deal with and quell the violence on Cincinnati streets," Luken said. "The violence must stop and the violence will stop."
City and police officials plan to announce plans for Friday evening at 11 a.m. Friday, WLWT reported.
Conversations are ongoing with the governor's office over whether to bring National Guard troops to the city, Luken said.
Luken received permission from Ohio Gov. Bob Taft Thursday to use 120 Ohio State Highway Patrol officers on a 24-hour schedule to help keep peace in the city. The officers were in place by Thursday evening.
Hamilton County Sheriff Simon Leis agreed to provide deputies to patrol outlying areas while Cincinnati police officers concentrate on the areas with disturbances.
All Metro buses obeyed the curfew across Cincinnati. Nighttime taxi service was also halted.
The curfew forced cancellation of some Easter weekend events, including a Good Friday tradition in which Roman Catholics climb the hillside steps of Immaculata Church after midnight and pause on each step to pray.
The violence, described as the worst in Cincinnati since the aftermath of the assassination of Martin Luther King in 1968, began Monday night, three days after an unarmed black suspect was shot by a Cincinnati police officer.
Timothy Thomas, 19, was shot and killed by Officer Steven Roach, 27, near the corner of Republic and 13th streets in Over-the-Rhine after a brief foot chase.
Thomas was wanted on 14 misdemeanor warrants, including receiving stolen goods, police said. He also faced traffic violations, including driving without a license and failing to wear a seat belt.
Thomas was shot once in the chest at relatively close range by the officer, who thought that Thomas was reaching for a weapon in his waistband, according to news reports.
Thomas, who was the father of a 3-month-old son, was engaged to be married and was about to start a new job. He was the fourth black man killed by Cincinnati police since last November. Three were shot and a fourth died of asphyxiation while he was in police custody, resulting in charges against two officers.
Roach has been placed on paid administrative leave for seven days. He has not commented on what happened.
Reports of crime sprees began coming in to Cincinnati police on Monday night after a raucous City Council meeting
At least 66 people were arrested Monday night and Tuesday morning, and several dozen people were hospitalized. Windows in major stores were broken, newspaper racks and garbage cans were thrown into the streets, and a hot dog cart was overturned, WLWT reported.
The worst of the disturbances were reported Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning, when stores were looted and set on fire and people were pulled from their cars and beaten, WLWT reported.
Tensions appeared to ease by Wednesday, but shortly before 11 p.m., a Cincinnati police officer was hit by gunfire near Vine and Green streets.
The bullet struck the gun belt of officer Andy Noguera and bounced off of his stomach, leaving a large bruise and a small cut. Noguera, a 12-year-veteran of the force, was taken to The University Hospital as a precaution, but his injuries were not considered severe, WLWT reported. He was released Thursday.
The suspect started firing at officers and then began to run as he fired, according to Cincinnati police spokesman Lt. Ray Ruberg.
The man accused of firing at Noguera has not been caught. He was described as a 6-foot-tall black male with a heavy build, Ruberg said.
Police reported 82 arrests Wednesday night and Thursday morning. The crime also spread to other parts of the city, including University Heights, Walnut Hills, Avondale, Evanston and Norwood. Vandals also struck again in the area around Findlay Market, WLWT reported.
Thieves reportedly struck Deveroes stores on Reading Road, Race Street and Elm Street. The thieves returned after police left the scene, and there were reports of people hiding in the basement of one of the stores.
At least three people have been charged with ethnic intimidation since the violence began, WLWT reported.
On Thursday, President Bush asked Attorney General John Ashcroft to discuss ways the government can restore calm.
"The president understands the very strong emotions involved and he joins Cincinnati and Ohio leaders in their appeal to the people of Cincinnati for calm and a nonviolent resolution to the current situation," White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said.
A funeral for Timothy Thomas has been scheduled for Saturday morning. Police and city officials fear that the services may touch off additional violence.
Stay tuned to ChannelCincinnati.com and WLWT Eyewitness News 5 for additional updates.
Previous Stories:
- April 12, 2001: Curfew Begins At 8 p.m.
- April 12, 2001: Emergency Hotline Established
- April 12, 2001: Norwood Under State Of Emergency
- April 12, 2001: Bush Gets Involved In Unrest
- April 12, 2001: Taft Issues Statement On Unrest
- April 12, 2001: NAACP President Leads Meeting
- April 12, 2001: Police Release Cruiser Tape Of Shooting
- April 12, 2001: Police Officer Shot As Unrest Spreads
- April 12, 2001: Guard Troops May Be Called To City
- April 12, 2001: Justice Department To Investigate Death
- April 11, 2001: Over-the-Rhine Neighbors Look For Hope
- April 11, 2001: Who Is Officer Steven Roach?
- April 11, 2001: Sporadic Violence Continues Overnight
- April 11, 2001: Shooting Protests Turn Violent
- April 10, 2001: Cleanup Begins After Shooting Protests
- April 10, 2001: Police Face More Protests
- April 10, 2001: Police, Protesters Clash Over Shooting
Copyright 2007 by WLWT.com.
All rights reserved. This material may
not be published, broadcast, rewritten
or redistributed.
