Cleveland, Ohio – A violent crime reduction initiative in Cleveland on October 9, 2025, resulted in eight felony arrests, including the apprehension of a 17-year-old suspect wanted in connection to a mass shooting in the Cleveland Flats that occurred just one month earlier on September 7.
The operation, led by the Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP) in partnership with the Cleveland Division of Police, unfolded in downtown Cleveland as part of an ongoing multi-agency effort that began in 2023. The initiative was launched by Governor Mike DeWine and Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb, and targets areas with repeated violent crime involving known offenders.
Traffic Stop Escalates into Foot Pursuit and Arrests
The breakthrough occurred shortly after 5:10 p.m., when an OSHP trooper attempted to stop a gray Jeep Cherokee for a traffic violation. The vehicle, instead of stopping, fled the scene. In response, the OSHP Aviation Unit tracked the suspect vehicle from the air while the ground trooper safely ended the pursuit. Just minutes later, around 5:24 p.m., the suspect vehicle stopped in the 2100 block of West 52nd Street, where four individuals exited the Jeep and ran.
Officers quickly arrested Xavier Baldwin, a 21-year-old man from Cleveland, who was identified as the driver. A short time later, a 17-year-old male, wanted on a felony warrant in connection to the September 7 mass shooting, was also taken into custody…