Cleveland Police Sergeant Charged With Assault, Unlawful Restraint After Arrest

CLEVELAND, OH — An 11-year-veteran of the Cleveland police force has been cited for misdemeanor assault and restraint charges stemming from an arrest last month. Sgt. Christopher Graham will be on restricted duty until the case against him is resolved in Cleveland Municipal Court.

The Cleveland Police Department said Graham was charged on Thursday. In a statement, the department said Graham and other officers had arrested a man involved in a fight in the 13000-block of Lorain Avenue on Sept. 12. With the man in custody, a woman, Angela Martinez, 18, of Lakewood, approached the police officer’s cruiser and tried to talk with the suspect.

Police ordered Martinez to stand back. She flipped off the police officers, who then attempted to handcuff her. During the scuffle, Martinez tried to knee Graham in the groin, according to police reports. Graham forced Martinez to the ground and another officer handcuffed her. Police charged Martinez of assaulting a police officer.

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In their statement, police officers only provided the arrest report of Martinez and the report of the fight. Details on what led to charges against Graham were not spelled out in the statement. A phone message left for a police spokeswoman Friday afternoon was not immediately returned.

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