An Ohio prosecutor laid into local carjackers, who he says have “declared war on our community” following the killing of a 25-year-old off-duty Cleveland police officer during an aggravated carjacking on New Year’s Eve, according to authorities.
Cleveland police say officer Shane Bartek was killed during an aggravated motor vehicle robbery at 4320 Rocky River Drive around 6:00 p.m. on December 31. “[A] preliminary investigation indicates that a suspect approached the victim in the parking lot of the apartment building with a gun, a struggle ensued and the victim was shot twice by the suspect,” Cleveland police stated in a press release.
Authorities say the suspect then made off in Bartek’s car, and EMS transported the off-duty officer to Fairview Hospital, “where he was pronounced dead.”
Bartek joined the force in 2019, four years after he graduated from Berea-Midpark High School, Fox 8 reported.
“Please just make sure everyone knows he loved his job, he loved his friends, and he loved his family,” his friend Justin Delaney told Fox 8. “He lived to impact others and touch people and his passing rocked all of us and we won’t ever let his spirit die.”
An officer spotted the vehicle, which sparked a multi-jurisdiction chase and culminated in the suspect crashing the vehicle into a fence, according to Cleveland.com. Anthony J. Butler, 28, was arrested and “charged Saturday with fleeing and eluding, a third-degree felony, and receiving stolen property, a fourth-degree felony,” Cleveland.com reported. His bond has been set at $5 million.
In the last four years, Butler has had seven convictions for charges connected to car thefts, Cleveland.com reported.
An unidentified 18-year-old female suspect is in custody on suspicion of aggravated murder, though she is not yet formally charged, per Cleveland.com. She is also under investigation for her participation in previous robberies.
Suburban police departments “also are pursuing charges in the case,” Cleveland.com reported.
Cuyahoga County prosecutor Michael O’Malley provided a statement following Bartek’s killing, per Cleveland.com:
“These carjackers have declared war on our community, and this community and law enforcement need to come together to put an end to this violence,” he said. “These carjackings are happening almost everyday throughout this county.”
Cleveland’s Democrat Mayor-elect Justin Bibb called Bartek’s death “senseless” in a tweet:
Interim Cleveland Police Chief Wayne Drummond also spoke to the killing of his officer.
“My heart is aching for his family, for our officers. It’s senseless. It just doesn’t make sense,” he said, per Cleveland.com.
The incident follows the fatal shooting of Bradley, Illinois, police Sgt. Marlene Rittmanic, 49, on Wednesday, Breitbart News reported. Rittmanic’s partner, Tyler Bailey, 27, was also shot and remained in critical condition as of Friday morning. Two suspects have been arrested in connection to the shootings.