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The Cincinnati police union slammed a criminal case being brought against a victim in last month’s viral beatdown over the man’s alleged role in the violence.
A 45-year-old White man was arrested earlier this week in connection to the assault in the city’s downtown area, the Cincinnati Police Department confirmed to Fox News Digital.
Authorities have not named the suspect, who police said was a victim in the attack and therefore is protected under Marsy’s Law, which prevents officials from releasing his identity.
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The victim’s lawyer, Douglas Brannon, revealed his client was allegedly hit in the head 28 times and robbed during the attack, according to FOX 19.
The man “is continuing to suffer from his injuries. He was brutally beaten in the attack, like many others were, and he’s continuing his medical treatment,” Brannon told the outlet. “Still kinda processing on how this victim-blaming has happened.”
Brannon reportedly pointed to his client acting in self-defense during the attack, while vowing to fight the charges.
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“It’s very clear in all of the videos, except those edited for political purposes, that [he] was, in fact, acting in self-defense of himself and his friends,” Brannon said.
Brannon did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
The fight broke out on the corner of West Fourth and Elm streets in the early morning hours of July 26. Bystander footage of the assault shows a White man hitting a Black man wearing a red shirt in the face, moments before the scene devolved into chaos, ultimately leaving six people injured and quickly going viral online.
The man is charged with disorderly conduct and has been ordered to appear in court on Aug. 26. He is the eighth person to be arrested for his alleged involvement in the beatdown.
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In light of the latest development, community leaders throughout Cincinnati have spoken out about the man’s arrest – with some officials previously calling for the individual to be charged, as the first seven suspects are Black.
“We have been clear about the fact that anyone involved in perpetrating violence should be held accountable,” Mayor Aftab Pureval said in a statement, according to WLWT. “This is another step toward achieving that, and I want to thank CPD and the prosecutors for their hard work as this process continues.”
However, Cincinnati Fraternal Order of Police President Ken Kober ripped the arrest after previously accusing the Pureval administration of exerting pressure on law enforcement to find a crime to charge the victims with.
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“City Solicitor [Emily] Woerner and the Pureval administration’s blatant political meddling is the most egregious I’ve witnessed in my career,” Kober said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Overruling law enforcement and prosecutors for cheap political points is a disgraceful stain on our city, and those responsible should be utterly ashamed of themselves.”
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Ohio state Rep. Cecil Thomas sounded off on the severity of the charges, after previously hosting a town hall to discuss the city’s handling of the investigation.
“The charge of Disorderly Conduct, a fourth-degree misdemeanor, is a slap in the face to the Black Community,” Thomas said in a statement to Fox News. “This only inflames the community even more. The proper charges for him should have been assault and aggravated rioting. However, if the city or prosecutor truly wanted to diffuse this situation and bring the temperature down, they should drop all aggravated rioting charges and reduce all felonious assault charges down to misdemeanor assault, except for the individual that struck the lady. Under no circumstance can I condone a man hitting a woman. Charge everyone, black or white accordingly and let the courts decide their fate. End of story.”
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David Whitehead, president of the city’s NAACP chapter, also reportedly reacted to the new charges.
“The Cincinnati NAACP stands by and advocates for justice under the law,” Whitehead said, according to WLWT. “We still question the fairness in charging based on the information we have seen and the conversations we have had. Street altercations typically result in disorderly conduct charges and there are at least five defendants being charged beyond that. We look forward to learning more about the cases and receiving the findings of the final investigation. In the meantime, we encourage everyone who believes in a fair judicial system to register to vote, because that’s how jury pools are determined.”
Pureval and Whitehead did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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Patrick Rosemond, 38, Jermaine Matthews, 39, Montianez Merriweather, 34, DeKyra Vernon, 24, Dominique Kittle, 37, and Aisha Devaughn, 25, are each charged with three counts of alleged felonious assault, three charges of assault and two charges of aggravated rioting, the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office confirmed to Fox News Digital.
Last week, authorities also announced the arrest of 32-year-old Gregory Wright. Wright was arraigned on alleged aggravated riot and aggravated robbery charges on Thursday morning, where he appeared virtually in the Hamilton County Jail.
According to court documents, Wright, who is a convicted heroin trafficker with a lengthy criminal record, “did by force rip the necklace off the victim while he was being assaulted by four or more co-defendants, attempting to cause serious physical harm.”
On Thursday, an Ohio judge lowered Wright’s bond from $100,000 to $50,000, but he is only required to pay 10% – or $5,000 – to be released.
Wright’s attorney did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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