Cleveland Heights Police Still Looking Into Social Media Post

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OHIO — A man who was seen walking around Cleveland Heights with a rifle slung over his shoulder Saturday refused to give police his name and had concerns over rioting and looting in recent months, but has not, as of now, been connected to making any threats against Black people as a weekend social media post suggested, the city’s police chief told the city council on Monday night.

The man, whom Police Chief Annette Mecklenburg said is within his legal rights to carry in plain sight “just wanted to carry a gun”,” Mecklenburg told the city council as police continue to look into a social media post in which residents claim the man threatened to shoot Black people. City officials said Monday that there are there no residents who have actually heard the man threaten anyone.

At Monday’s meeting, acting city manager Susanna Niermann called the incident “a terrible thing hanging over our community,” Cleveland.com reported. Police first encountered the man on Blanche Avenue around 4:30 p.m. on Saturday. Mecklenburg said that officers spoke with the man but determined he was not breaking any laws by carrying the rifle. Police have not had contact with the man since learning of the social media post, Mecklenburg told the council Monday night.

Cleveland Vice Mayor Kahlil Seren questioned if the man should have been required to give police his name, but later said that the only requirement to identify oneself was if a crime had been committed of if one was about to be committed or if one had witnessed a crime, the Cleveland.com reported stated.

“Police just don’t stop police walking down the street and ask their name for no reason,” Mecklenburg told the city council, according to the report. “There were no threats (on Saturday), he just wanted to carry a gun.”

Officers have spoken with residents in the area was seen walking after receiving reports of the social media posts suggesting that threats against Black people had been made. Police said Monday that they are working to find who posted the photo on social media and Mecklenburg told the city council there is, as of now, no proof that there is any truth to what the post suggested.

“I hope it’ found that the social media is erroneous,” Cleveland Heights Mayor Jason Stein said at the council meeting, according to the report.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the Cleveland Heights Police Department at (216) 321-1234 or the department’s detective bureau at (216) 291-5817.