Video shows 40+ police vehicles involved in Cleveland chase that ended with 2 dead

CLEVELAND - New surveillance video from RTA shows a portion of the controversial police chase through Cleveland that ended with two suspects shot and killed.

The video was taken in Cleveland’s Windermere neighborhood on Nov. 29 at 10:49 p.m.

Our count showed more than 40 police vehicles passing through the intersection for the chase within a three-minute period.

Timothy Russell Jr., 43, and his passenger Malissa Williams, 30, were both killed by police during the chase near the water treatment plant in East Cleveland. Investigators said 13 officers fired a total 137 rounds at their car. No weapon was found in or around their vehicle.

A Cleveland officer started the 22-minute chase after reporting that a gunshot was fired from the suspect’s vehicle near police headquarters in downtown Cleveland. Radio traffic recordings released after the chase indicated most of the officers involved were from the second district.

“When I actually saw the video chase I was told it was like 50 cars,” said Walter Jackson, uncle to Williams. “Fifty police cars chasing one car. That really don’t make no sense.”

However, Jeff Follmer, president of the Cleveland Police Patrolmen’s Association, disagreed.

“They kept the neighborhood’s that were involved in the car chase with the route safe using that many cars,” he said from outside the association’s headquarters on West 58th Street. “They were acting in good faith. It was an unusually circumstance and they also thought there was an active shooter."

The 13 officers were placed on desk duty after the incident, and the Ohio Attorney General added resources from the state’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Identification to help with the investigation.

The BCI investigation is expected to be wrapped up by the end of January.