CLEVELAND – Six Cleveland police officers charged in a November 2012 car chase that ended with 137 gunshots and the deaths of two unarmed people have pleaded not guilty to various charges.
The six officers were arraigned Friday morning in Cuyahoga (ky-uh-HOH'-guh) County Common Pleas Court.
Patrolman Michael Brelo (BREE'-loh) faces the most serious charges, two counts of manslaughter, in the deaths of driver Timothy Russell and passenger Malissa Williams.
He is accused of jumping on the hood of Russell's car and unloading his weapon, firing at least 15 rounds that county prosecutor Tim McGinty has described as fatal.
Five supervisors are charged with misdemeanor dereliction of duty for failing to control the chase.
An attorney who spoke on behalf of all the officers on Friday asked that they be treated fairly.
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