One of the most frustrating, overwhelming, and insulting experiences our clients face is when they have committed no crime yet have been attacked by a rogue police officer – or a young officer who simply made a poor decision. Officers are trained to react to situations based on the information they have, or they believe they have at the time. Our job is to point out what you already know – that they made the wrong choice. Situations such as this are: police shootings, police beatings, and other police violations of your rights. You need to be protected from your criminal case and prepared for your civil case. To be clear most officers are not bad, however, in these situations you have probably been charged with a crime – probably to justify the shooting.
One such example of this, as recently reported in the media, was State v. Ron Mitchell in Cuyahoga County. Ron, our client, was literally walking down the street when officers approached him in their zone car. Ron attempted to run away – so fast that some officers testified they needed to get back in their car. In the end Ron was shot in the back.
The police officer who did the shooting claimed that Ron had a gun and that he pointed the gun at the officer and his partner – several other officers who testified said they did not actually see a gun. Our client was serious injured and accused of aggravated menacing for allegedly pointing a gun at the officers.
Attorney Megan Patituce, a partner at the firm, defended Mr. Mitchell at his first trial. Because of our representation the jury rejected the police’s story and found Mr. Mitchell not guilty of aggravated menacing.
If you, or a family member, are in a similiar situation call us at (440) 709-8088 for your obligation free, pressure free, consultation with one of my Cleveland Criminal Defense Lawyers. We will treat you with the dignity and respect you deserve.