CLEVELAND — A deputy marshal was shot while serving a warrant in Glenville on Wednesday morning.
According to U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott, around 8 a.m., the suspect was tracked to a home on the east side for a felonious assault warrant out of East Cleveland.
The suspect was identified by law enforcement officials as Larry Wiley.
The suspect fired on the task force and struck a deputy marshal, and officers returned fire, said Cleveland Police Deputy Chief Ali Pillow. No one else was injured in the exchange.
U.S. Marshal Elliott became emotional while addressing reporters.
He said the suspect had three prior assaults on police officers and has spent almost 20 years in jail for various assault charges. Court records confirm the police assault convictions.
"It is pissing me off," Elliott said. "Another violent criminal on the streets shooting at our people."
Watch Elliott's full remarks:
The shooting was followed by a heavy police presence on East 91st Street at Stewart Avenue, including sheriff’s deputies, U.S. Marshals and Cleveland Police, as well as negotiators and officers in full tactical gear.
Wiley barricaded himself inside a residence, leading to a standoff that lasted four hours.
Deputies with the Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Office negotiated with Wiley, and sheriff deputies took him into custody.
The deputy marshal was transported to the University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center. Elliott said he is in serious, but stable condition.
"He's a warrior, he is a tough individual, he is going to survive," Elliott said.
This is the first instance of a U.S. deputy marshal being shot since the formation of the violent fugitive task force in 2003, said Elliott.
'This is not common'
William Buckway, who works in the apartment building where the shooting occurred, said he heard the gunshots on Wednesday morning.
"I was actually going in that building — it's the building I work in — when I heard gunshots going off and saw a police officer running out the building," Buckway said. "The officers seemed pretty calm at first until I heard the gunshots."
Buckway said the location is a multi-unit apartment building.
"This is not common, but I'm kind of numb to it already," Buckway said.
Inside the building, Taleesha Witherspoon's three kids took cover as law enforcement tried to coerce the gunman out. She stayed in contact with them on FaceTime.
"I was nervous. I was freaking out. I was scared. I was just calling them. They were FaceTiming me, keeping in contact with me," Witherspoon said.
After more than two hours, Witherspoon was finally able to reunite with her children.
"I’m nervous. I want to get back to my kids and make sure they’re okay because it was kind of stressful for us," Witherspoon said.
