CLEVELAND — From Aug. 9 through Aug. 24, the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office said there have been 30 attempted carjackings or carjackings across the county. Now, several law enforcement agencies and the prosecutor’s office are trying to put the breaks on the crimes. Carjackers have been terrifying victims and putting communities on edge.
“We’re having a rash of carjackings, by it appears, to be a group of individuals bouncing around our county committing these violent crimes,” said Michael O’Malley, Cuyahoga County prosecutor.
Rocky River, Solon, Independence, Cleveland Heights, Garfield Heights and the Cleveland-Lakewood border are where the criminals have hit.
Three of the carjackings happened in the Bunts Road and Lakewood Heights Boulevard area.
“Certainly, when you have three in a very small area, it’s very likely that they’re all are connected. Very close to a highway for instance in that particular case where their easily off the highway then easily back on to flee,”said O’Malley.
Inside the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office, is the Crime Strategies Unit. It is made up of crime analysts, prosecutors, dozens of local police agencies and federal agencies including FBI and ATF. The unit focuses on violent crime and works to connect and solve crimes that happen in multiple cities.
Several carjackings have been caught on surveillance cameras.
Now, those cameras are playing a pivotal part in tracking down the criminals who are traumatizing victims at gunpoint.
“Cameras are one of the most useful things we have in law enforcement in all these investigations,” Ryan Bokoch, supervisor of the Crime Strategies Unit.
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