02-08-2025
Mayor Aftab Pureval says 'too many Cincinnatians don't feel safe'
3:45 p.m.: Councilman Scotty Johnson said none of this year's 38 homicides have garnered the media attention as this fight.
He asked what role the media plays when the fight is played on a loop showing Black and White people "trying to knock each other's heads off." He said the media has been quoting "misguided, misdirected" national politicians and leaders.
3:40 p.m.: In response to Governor Mike DeWine's offer of the Ohio State Highway Patrol to help combat crime in Cincinnati, Pureval said the city was accepting the help.
Pureval said the highway patrol would be taking on incidents that occur on Cincinnati's highways. He said this will free up more Cincinnati officers to focus on issues of crime in the city.
3:36 p.m.: Rev. Damon Lynch addressed the issue at the press conference and offered a timeline of what happened.
He said a Black man and White man were engaged in a verbal altercation. He said a second Black man stepped in and try to calm things down. Then the White man re-engaged and slapped a third Black man.
After that happened, Lynch said the White man was met with "disproportionate force."
He compared it to police shootings when commenters often ask why a person didn't just comply with the officers. In this case, Lynch said no one is asking: "Why didn't he just walk away?"
When Lynch is looking at the mugshots from this incident, he only see Black faces. "I don't see the person who reengaged ... I don't see the slapper's mugshot.""This is racial because it's unequal justice," he said.
3:26 p.m.: Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge said part of the problem is the "revolving door" of justice. She said her officers too often put themselves at risk to get criminals off the street, only to see them released with little consequence.
She said she's asked the Hamilton County Police Chief's Association to form a committee to address this problem. She'll be asking prosecutors and judges to meet with them to address this.
3:19 p.m.: Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge said violence caught on video was "outright cruel" and "shook us all." She again called on citizens to call 911 quickly instead of filming or posting to social media.
"Silence in moments like this can be dangerous," she said.
She said police have identified six people who suffered "unimaginable physical violence." The people include five males and one female.
Theetge said six people have been charged with felonious assault and aggravated riot. Three have been arrested and three are still being pursued.
3:12 p.m.: Pureval said the fight that went viral has "unavoidable" racial dynamics, but called on residents to avoid being divided by bad actor trying to exploit the situation.
He said that Cincinnati has worked for years to heal racial division, and everyone should continue to work together.
Update 3:08 p.m.: Pureval appeared flanked by more than a dozen community partners and politicians. He emphaisized as he has at past public safety announcements that everyone is working together to address the issue of crime in the city.
"We will spare no expense in the pursuit of safety and justice," Pureval said.
He said there has been progress and the city is on the right track, but added that the perception is may differ from the data.
"Too many Cincinnatians don't feel safe," Pureval said. "We have to make the city safer right now."
Prior reporting: Nearly a week after videos of a large brawl in downtown Cincinnati went viral on social media, Mayor Aftab Pureval plans to announce how the city will combat crime and address public safety concerns.
Several city leaders and Cincinnati residents alike have voiced their opinions about the July 26 incident, forcing officials from all across the state of Ohio to discuss what's next.
Pureval, who's been on a long-planned family vacation in Vancouver the past week, told The Enquirer he would make some kind of announcement on Aug. 1.
The news conference will be at 3 p.m. at the Anderson Pavilion at The Banks, at8 E. Mehring Way. A release noted that Pureval will be "discussing updates on the collective work to build a path forward for Cincinnati."
Pureval's first reaction to the videos came on July 28, saying in a statement, "I am outraged by the vicious fight that occurred Downtown ... It is horrifying to watch, and this unacceptable and disgusting behavior is intolerable in any part of our community."
What happened in the Cincinnati brawl?
In one of the videos, a group of people is seen striking one man until he falls to the ground as they continue to punch and kick him. Shortly after, another man is seen punching a woman in the face, causing her to fall to the ground, where she remained motionless until a person helped pick her back up.
Cincinnati police Detective Barney Blank said video of the incident shows Montianez Merriweather, 34, walking up to Jermaine Matthews, 39, whispering something to him and approaching one of the victims from behind before striking him in the face.
Merriweather and Matthews then chased the victim, who was trying to retreat, to the ground before punching and kicking him, Blank said. The detective added that Merriweather went after another man.
Blank added that Matthews was seen on video knocking the victim to the ground and kicking him several times in the face and chest, before going after another victim.
Blank said that Dekyra Vernon, 24, was a bystander watching the brawl when she approached and punched a Russian woman trying to protect someone on the ground.
The detective said Vernon was not involved in any of the arguments that preceded the fight. "She just interjected herself into a brawl on the street," Blank said.
According to court documents, Vernon is also accused of striking the woman whom video shows was struck by a man that caused her to lose concisousness.
Who has been arrested in connection with the brawl?
Merriweather, Vernon and Matthews face charges including felonious assault and aggravated riot.
Merriweather was out on bond when police said he was involved in the early morning brawl at Fourth and Elm streets. He received a $500,000 bond during a July 30 arraignment in Hamilton County Municipal Court.
Matthews has multiple cases against him with bonds totally $270,000, according to jail records. He posted his bond on July 31. As of the morning of Aug. 1, he was still in jail, but will likely be released shortly. The judge in his case ordered that he be placed on a GPS ankle monitor.
Vernon's bond was set at $200,000.
Cincinnati police announced on Aug. 1 that Dominique Kittle, 37, was arrested at approximately 6:20 p.m. that same day. He is also charged with felonious assault and aggravated riot.
As of the evening of Aug. 1, police say they are still pursuing two other suspects that have been charged.
Who was injured in the fight?
Jonathan Cunningham, a spokesperson for the Cincinnati police, told USA TODAY on Tuesday, July 29, in an email that "two victims did go to the hospital the following day with at that time non-life-threatening injuries, treated and (were) released."
He added that he did not know what the status is of their follow-up care.
During the Aug. 1 press conference, Police Chief Teresa Theetge said investigators have identified six people they say were attacked and suffered "unimaginable physical violence." The people include five males and one female.
Police said the Russian woman whom Vernon is accused of punching has since returned to her home country. She is not the same woman who lost consciousness or the one police say was attacked.
What's being done to address crime, concerns?
Hamilton County Prosecutor Connie Pillich previously said in a statement to The Enquirer that she will prosecute the attackers in the fight "to the fullest extent of the law."
U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno said the FBI is in the midst of an investigation on orders from the U.S. attorney general, but The Enquirer was not able to confirm an official investigation
With this, Gov. Mike DeWine said on July 30 that the Ohio State Highway Patrol is "working and in-touch" with the Cincinnati Police Department after Mayor Aftab Pureval accepted his offer for some law enforcement assistance.
Along with Pureval's announcement on Aug.1, Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has chosen Jim & Jack's for his upcoming town hall on Aug. 4 to address Ohio's crime concerns.
Ramaswamy's town hall will "reflect on recent events & discuss how to improve in the future," he posted on the Facebook announcement of the event.
The incident gained national attention after commentary from Cincinnati Republican mayoral candidate Cory Bowman, Elon Musk and prominent social media accounts like Libs of TikTok.
"We plan to invite city officials, community leaders, and any of the victims from Friday's assault who wish to participate. When people feel afraid to speak their minds, that's when frustration festers & we can't let that happen," Ramaswamy, who grew up in the Cincinnati suburb of Evendale, said in the post.
Is crime in Cincinnati increasing?
The latest crime data provided by the city shows shootings are down when compared with data from this time last year, but property crimes, particularly in Over-the-Rhine and Downtown, are up:
In Downtown and Over-the-Rhine, there have been nearly double the number of burglaries, breaking-and-entering incidents and thefts from cars so far this year.
Citywide, there have been 34 reported homicides, compared to 30 at this time last year. More than a third of those killings have happened in the past month.
In Over-the-Rhine, there have been five homicides this year, three of which have been in the past month.
Reported shootings remain down across the city. Cincinnati police report 110 people have been shot so far this year, compared with 142 at this point in 2024.
Have Downtown residents, workers expressed safety concerns?
A logistics firm near downtown Cincinnati is relocating its offices to Blue Ash following a string of violent incidents in and around the city center in recent weeks, including a violent altercation at Fourth and Elm streets.
Victor Louis, founder and CEO of One Logistics Network, said in an interview with The Enquirer that the July 26 incident was a factor in his decision to move, but he's been contemplating a move for months and signed a lease last week for new office space near Summit Park in Blue Ash.
Cincinnati's Downtown restaurateurs, including the CEO of Jeff Ruby Culinary Entertainment, have called for a "real plan" to address the recent public safety concerns.
More than 100 people packed a community meeting with Cincinnati leaderson July 29 that had been scheduled before the fight.
"I will not tolerate lawlessness on the streets of Cincinnati," Theetge said during the July 29 meeting at the Cincinnati Public Library. "I owe it to you as people who live and work here to get the lawlessness under control."
One resident questioned the department's response to the fight during the early hours of Saturday morning, asking Theetge how many 911 calls for noise complaints or other disorder police received prior to the fight breaking out. A woman chimed in that there was at least one, indicating she had called that night.
"Downtown was hopping. It was loud. It was crowded. It was noisy," Theetge said, admitting she did not have the exact number of calls for noise complaints or disorder that night. The chief said there was only one other medical run for the fire department that evening that she knew of.
The Enquirer will update this developing news report.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati brawl viral video: what happened, victims, reactions
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