CLEVELAND — An 18-year-old female was shot during an apparent road rage incident in Cleveland that occurred near Charles Dickens School Thursday afternoon, according to Cleveland police.
Around 12:35 p.m. officers received a report of multiple shots fired in the area of East 131st Street from Marston to Corlett avenues. Officers also learned that calls from Charles Dickens School came in reporting shots fired in front of the school.
Once on scene, officers found a Nissan Sentra unoccupied in the northbound lane a few feet south of the intersection of East 131st Street and Svec Avenue and multiple bullet holes were observed along the right side of the car and the front windshield.
Officers found two individuals, an 18-year-old woman and 20-year-old man, who were connected to the Nissan. The woman had sustained a gunshot wound to her buttocks and she was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Police spoke with the man, who told them he had picked the woman up from a store on Lee Road and Glendale Avenue and was driving south on Lee Road when they saw a white Ford F150 straddling two lanes. The man said he blew his horn to get the driver's attention.
The man said the driver of the Ford then gave him the middle finger when he was making a right turn onto Harvard Avenue and a short time later he noticed the truck following him down Harvard Avenue. The man said he turned down several side streets to confirm the truck was following him and it was.
Police were told that when the man turned onto East 131st Street, the driver of the Ford began to shoot at his vehicle and he tried to speed up to get away, but the truck continued pursuing him while firing multiple gunshots at him.
The Ford rammed into the man's vehicle near Svec Avenue, causing him to come to a stop. He then exchanged gunfire with the driver of the Ford, he told police.
Police also spoke with the woman who was shot and she had a similar report, but added that the truck caught up with them at East 131st and Marston Avenue and the drivers exchanged hostile words before the truck pulled up to the right of the Nissan and fired multiple shots at them. She said the 20-year-old man drove away with the truck still pursuing them.
The woman said the truck sped away after ramming into their vehicle and that they then began walking east on Svec Avenue when police stopped them. It was at that time she realized she had been shot.
Officers learned that the 20-year-old man had a prior felony conviction and had no legal right to possess a firearm. He was arrested and booked at the Cuyahoga County Jail on weapons under disability, felonious assault, improperly discharging a firearm into habitation or school and improperly discharging a firearm on or near prohibited areas, police said.
The 18-year-old woman required surgery to remove the bullet. Her updated medical condition is unknown at this time.
Some of the incident was captured by surveillance cameras at the school and is currently under investigation.
Police were told the driver of the Ford was a male who the 20-year-old man was not familiar with, but no information on him was provided.
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