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Advocates ask council to scrutinize deputy vehicle pursuits after two fatal crashes
Summary
A Black Lives Matter representative urged Cleveland City Council to investigate deputy vehicle pursuits after two fatal crashes in which the same deputy was publicly reported to have been involved; the speaker said the deputy was not removed for evaluation between incidents.
Kareem Hinton, speaking for Black Lives Matter, asked Cleveland City Council to scrutinize vehicle pursuits initiated by deputies operating within city limits, saying two fatal crashes following pursuits involved the same deputy.
Hinton cited a March 28, 2025, pursuit that ended on Eddie Road and later resulted in the death of Tanya Westmoreland on April 13, 2025; he said the fleeing driver, Nigel Perry, also died. Hinton said a second pursuit on Aug. 24, 2025, left 37-year-old Shardae Denise Elder dead at East 13th Street and Saint Clair Avenue; Hinton said the fleeing driver, Jamon Whitaker II, was arrested and charged. Hinton asserted that “the same deputy initiated both of those pursuits” and that the deputy was not removed from active duty for a full mental and psychological evaluation or required to take additional pursuit training before returning to patrol.
Why it matters: The speaker framed the issue as a public-safety and accountability concern, asking whether city oversight or constraints on deputies operating inside the city are adequate. The transcript records no formal council action or staff response on the matter during the meeting.
Supporting details: Hinton asked the council to “place upon this your immediate scrutiny” and contrasted the public reaction to a censure of a councilmember with the lack of an apparent response to the pursuit-related deaths. The transcript does not show whether the deputy named by media reports was reassigned or evaluated after the first crash.
