Former Cleveland cop kills himself after six-hour standoff
A former Cleveland police officer took his own life on Tuesday after a six-hour standoff with police.
A former Cleveland police officer took his own life on Tuesday after a six-hour standoff with police.
Tommie Griffin III was arrested after he allegedly pistol whipped and raped his girlfriend in January, and he has spent the last several months on house arrest. However, on Saturday, he cut off his GPS anklet, prompting a manhunt that eventually ended at a house on the west side of Cleveland, where Griffin entered into a stand-off with officers for six hours before taking his own life.
Griffin was hiding in the basement when the SWAT team entered the house. He had an AR-15 rifle, which he used to shoot himself in the chest.
“Mr. Griffin put Cleveland police in a very, very bad position,” U.S. Marshal Peter Elliott said. “It’s not the ending we wanted to see, but it is what it is.”
Griffin had been in jail until March, when he posted $200,000 bond and was placed under house arrest. Originally, his bond had been set at $250,000, but it was lowered after his attorney argued that he was not a flight risk.
While Griffin was placed on leave while his case was still pending, he resigned in March and was set to go to trial on Oct. 30.
Griffin stayed in a motel with an unnamed accomplice, and another accomplice helped him to hide in the house where the stand-off occurred. They are expected to face charges as well.
