CLEVELAND — A Cuyahoga County grand jury has indicted 25-year-old Jordan Cortez McDonald of South Euclid for his role in the "street takeovers" that took place in several parts of Cleveland during the night of Sept. 28 and the morning of Sept. 29.
Court records show McDonald was indicted on 23 counts:
- 7 counts of aggravated riot
- 6 counts of riot
- 3 counts of failure to comply with the order/signal of police officer
- 3 counts of disrupting public service
- 2 counts of obstructing official business
- 1 count of possessing criminal tools
- 1 count of tampering with evidence
McDonald will be arraigned on Oct. 28 at 8:30 a.m. in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court.
CASE BACKGROUND
On Sept. 28-29, the city of Cleveland endured a night of "street takeovers" that impacted multiple locations as suspects stopped traffic, pointed guns at people, lit fireworks and attempted to start fires.
According to Cleveland Police Chief Annie Todd, officials received an email from Cincinnati on Sept. 28 that revealed social media posts from groups coordinating the takeovers. She said the posts contained charged language including, "we will not run from a cop. If you can't stand your ground, this isn't your meetup."
Todd says the first report of activity came from East 55th and Woodland at around 11:30 p.m., and then more and more street takeovers started popping up, dividing police resources. The final takeover area was reported on I-90 west at West 14th around 4 a.m. on Sept. 29.
In response to the street takeovers, the Cleveland Division of Police created a "Street Takeover Task Force."
On Oct. 15, police arrested McDonald specifically for his role in the street takeover of Lee and Miles on Sept. 29.
McDonald was charged with the following:
- Failure to comply
- Tampering with evidence
- Aggravated riot
- Disruption public services
- Possession of criminal tools
In addition to the arrest, police impounded a vehicle suspected to be the one seen in videos circling around a patrol car during the takeover.
Earlier this week, the Street Takeover Task Force arrested a 23-year-old Port Clinton woman who is believed to have been "an active promoter and participant" during the street takeovers.
The woman, whose name has not yet been revealed, was arrested on charges of aggravated riot and possession of criminal tools. A search warrant was conducted at her residence, where a 2020 Infinity Q50 was confiscated in addition to two firearms, a rifle, and "other items." The suspect was taken to the Cuyahoga County Jail.
