By Molly Walsh
cleveland.com
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CLEVELAND — Cleveland police officers are continuing their search for four suspects accused in the shooting of an officer on the East Side on Tuesday.
The officer, who has been with the department for approximately four years, was shot twice in the 2800 block of Cedar Avenue. The officer was struck once in the thigh and once in the arm. He is in the hospital but is in stable condition, Cleveland police spokesperson Sgt. Jennifer Ciaccia said Wednesday afternoon.
Another officer on scene applied a tourniquet to the officer who was shot.
The two detectives were investigating Hyundai and Kia thefts in the area, said Wayne Drummond, Cleveland’s police chief. He added that the location often sees stolen vehicles left in the area.
“They came upon what they believed to be a stolen Kia,” he said. “Four suspects bailed from the vehicle, and they started to run.”
The driver of the Kia fled and was chased by a detective. As the officer exited his police vehicle, the suspect fired several rounds toward him at close range striking him twice. The driver then fled through the Cedar Estates Apartments.
Drummond said both officers chased the male suspects. One dropped a weapon during the chase. Three firearms were recovered at the scene, police said.
Two other officers were involved in a crash near East 30th and Carnegie Avenue while responding to the incident. Paramedics transported the female officers, ages 49 and 52, to MetroHealth Medical Center. They are in stable condition, Cleveland police spokesperson Sgt. Jennifer Ciaccia said.
According to Drummond, the suspect who shot the officer was wearing a bright orange jacket. More details, including the age of the suspect, were not known.
Mayor Justin Bibb visited the officer at the hospital Tuesday evening after the incident.
“While my main concern tonight is for the wellbeing of the officer and his family, I must also once again condemn the gun violence we are seeing in our city,” Bibb said in a statement. “We are doing everything in our power to bring perpetrators of this violence to justice as we seek to change dangerous policies that have given rise to the proliferation of guns on our streets. The violence must stop.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact detectives at 216-623-5464. Anonymous information can be provided by calling Crimestoppers at 216-25-CRIME and a cash reward of up to $5,000 may be available.
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