Third Suspect Arrested in Connection With Viral Cincinnati Assault as FBI Assists in Case

Cincinnati police, in collaboration with the FBI, have arrested a third suspect in connection with a brutal street assault near the city’s downtown area over the weekend that left two people seriously injured. The incident, which occurred in the early hours of Saturday morning near the LoVe nightclub following the city’s Music Fest concert, was captured in numerous phone videos, sparking outrage after the footage went viral online.Authorities confirmed the arrest of Jermaine Matthews, who now faces charges of aggravated riot and assault, Fox News reports. Mr. Matthews is the third person apprehended in connection with the assault, though others have already been charged and not yet arrested. Cincinnati police previously arrested Montianez Merriweather, 34, and Dekyra Vernon, 24, on related charges, including felonious assault, aggravated riot, and assault.All three suspects have appeared in court for bond hearings, with the presiding judge setting Mr. Merriweather’s bond at $500,000, Mr. Vernon’s at $200,000, and Mr. Matthews’s at $100,000.During the bond hearing, prosecutors presented video evidence and described Mr. Matthews’s alleged role in the assault. According to the prosecution, Mr. Matthews was seen chasing one of the victims into the street and kicking the man several times after he fell. When Mr. Matthews stepped away from one victim, he allegedly assaulted another, appearing “visibly enraged,” according to the prosecution. While the defense contended that Mr. Matthews had been punched earlier in the altercation, leading to his reaction, prosecutors maintained that his attack was non in self-defense.The court also reviewed Mr. Vernon’s involvement, as prosecutors shared a still image from the assault. They alleged that Mr. Vernon was seen watching the fight before knocking out a woman who was attempting to protect one of the victims. “The victim has returned to the hospital twice for additional treatment and was significantly harmed by the incident,” prosecutors said in court.The city’s police department has been working closely with the FBI as the investigation into the assault continues. “The FBI has been and will continue closely coordinating with the Cincinnati Police Department on this matter,” the bureau said in a statement.Cincinnati’s police chief, Teresa Theetge, addressing the media earlier this week, noted that the department had identified and charged five individuals involved in the violence but refrained from releasing their names. She expressed frustration that despite the large crowd present during the incident, only one person called 911 to report the fight.“That is unacceptable,” Ms. Theetge said. “Why didn’t people call us? Traffic was horrendous. People saw this happening right in front of them, and they just stood by.”But she has also chastised the media and onlookers who posted videos of the brawl on the internet. “Social media — the posts that we’ve seen — does not depict the entire incident,” the chief said. “That is one version of what occurred. At times, social media and mainstream media and their commentaries are misrepresentations of the circumstances surrounding any given event.”Videos, she said, show “one side of the equation quite frequently, without context, without factual context. And then people run with that, and then it grows legs and it becomes something bigger that we then have to try to manage as part of the investigation.”The police chief was widely criticized for her comments. A conservative legal commentator, Phil Holloway, wrote on X, “The Cincinnati Police Chief is big mad the latest example of urban decay in her city went viral on social media. She says it distorted what happened, yet she can’t say how it distorted anything except that it may only show ‘one side.'”Meanwhile, a Black city council member jumped into the fray with an incendiary comment. “They begged for that beat down! I am grateful for the whole story,” Victoria Park wrote on social media.

Third Suspect Arrested in Connection With Viral Cincinnati Assault as FBI Assists in Case

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