CLEVELAND — The driver who was behind the wheel of Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb's vehicle when it crashed downtown last week told first responders that he activated his lights because "the mayor needed to get somewhere for an emergency meeting."
That revelation was part of the body camera video that was released Wednesday by the Cleveland Division of Police showing the aftermath of the June 13 crash on East 12th and Superior Avenue.
The video shows the arrival of an officer to the scene at approximately 9:15 a.m., roughly 20 minutes after the crash. The officer is told by a member of the Cleveland Division of Fire that one of the two cars involved in the collision is "the mayor's vehicle."
"What mayor?" the officer asked.
"Our mayor," the firefighter responded, "Bibb."
The first person the officer interviewed was Bibb's driver.
"I'm heading westbound on Superior," the driver explained. "I pulled to the light, my lights were activated, cleared the light. There was a gentleman standing at the corner, he was getting ready to cross the street. He stopped. Pulled up. As I cleared it, come through, got popped."
The driver was asked why his emergency lights were activated.
"The mayor needed to get somewhere for a meeting, an emergency meeting," he told the officer.
A spokesperson for the city told 3News' Lynna Lai that the "emergency meeting" that Bibb was to attend dealt with the cyberattack that closed Cleveland City Hall for most of last week.
Bibb's driver added that the traffic light was red when they went to go through the intersection.
"We had the red light," he told the officer.
Bibb was hospitalized as a precaution following the crash. Officials stated all parties involved, including the other driver, were "fine."
The Cleveland Division of Police later reported that the vehicle's lights "were activated outside of the emergency response driving policy."
"I want to make it clear that nobody is above the law, and I take full responsibility for the actions of my staff," Bibb wrote in a statement released on Tuesday. "The officer on my security detail exhibited bad judgement in the moment, and his actions are not something I condone. I apologize for the inconvenience or harm caused, and I will ensure the appropriate measures are taken to prevent such an incident in the future."
According to Cleveland Police Chief Annie Todd, the crash happened at approximately 8:55 a.m. as Bibb's vehicle was being driven by a member of the Cleveland Division of Police.
"At the time, the mayor’s driver was engaged in emergency response driving. Preliminary information indicates that the lights were activated outside of the emergency response driving policy," Todd added.
The Cleveland Division of Police is investigating the incident "and is conducting an internal review of potential policy violations." Todd said that discipline related to violations of the division's Emergency Response Driving Policy "range from verbal warning to a 3-day suspension."
Previous Reporting:
- Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb says his security detail driver exhibited 'bad judgment' during downtown crash
- Cleveland police give crash update: Vehicle carrying Mayor Justin Bibb had lights activated outside of emergency response driving policy
- Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb taken to hospital following downtown crash; witness says city vehicle turned on emergency lights just before intersection