CLEVELAND — Three former East Cleveland Police Department officers have now received prison sentences for “criminal involvement in five incidents from 2020 to 2023,” according to a press release from Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley’s office.
The officers were former detective Ian McInnes, 41, former sergeant Anthony Holmes, 38, and former commander Larry McDonald, 48.
McInnes was sentenced to two and half years in prison after being found guilty of the following crimes on Oct. 18 last year:
- Felonious Assault (one count)
- Assault (three counts)
- Interfering with Civil Rights (three counts)
- Dereliction of Duty (three counts)
The release from O’Malley’s office highlights three incidents related to McInnes. In the first, back in February of 2020, it states he kicked a man in the ribs after he was tased by another officer and fell to the ground, despite the surrendering and complying with officer commands.
Another incident took place in October of 2021. After a vehicle pursuit, the 16-year-old officers had been chasing ran and sat down on the sidewalk with his arms raised. While he was being handcuffed, the release states “McInnes ran up to the victim and kicked him in the groin.”
Finally, a third incident in February of 2022 states that McInnes kicked another man, this time in the back while he was on his knees, “causing him to fall face forward onto the ground.” The 42-year-old man had been complying with commands.
Moving on to former Sergeant Anthony Holmes, he was also found guilty of various crimes in October last year, including:
- Tampering with Records (one count)
- Telecommunications Fraud (one count)
- Interfering with Civil Rights (one count)
- Dereliction of Duty (one count)
In January this year, he also pleaded guilty to a single count of attempted telecommunications fraud.
The release cites two incidents involved Holmes. The first was from October of 2021, the same incident involving McInnes and the 16-year-old.
“During the pursuit, Sergeant Holmes struck the victim’s vehicle,” the release reads. “Sergeant Holmes then instructed Officer Homan to radio that the victim’s vehicle had struck their police vehicle. Officer Homan then radioed that the victim brake-checked them.”
He and Homan had been handcuffing the minor when McInnes kicked him in his groin.
The second incident was in March of 2023 and involved former commander McDonald as well. McDonald had been pursuing a 42-year-old man who ended up crashing into a bus stop.
The release states that McDonald witnessed the accident and left the scene and did not tell dispatch about the pursuit or accident. Police were called by a “Good Samaritan” to the accident.
“Additionally, Sergeant Anthony Holmes contacted McDonald and advised him of the incident,” the release reads. “Sergeant Holmes knew that CDP had initiated an investigation and withheld knowledge of McDonald's involvement in the pursuit.”
He was sentenced to a single year in prison.
Finally, former commander McDonald received the longest sentence of the three: four years. He was found guilty of the following crimes in January this year:
- Tampering with Records (one count)
- Tampering with Evidence (one count)
- Telecommunications Fraud (one count)
- Obstructing Official Business (three counts)
- Dereliction of Duty (two counts)
One of the incident involved the pursuit that ended in a bus stop crash. The other incident was similar, as McDonald did not inform others about a pursuit. However, this one involved a 20-year-old male who crashed into multiple other vehicles and died.
All former officers also had to permanently surrender their OPOTA license.
“These officers betrayed the public’s trust, and my office will continue to work to restore that trust for the residents of East Cleveland,” O’Malley said in the release.
