The Heartless Felons gang gave its members orders to kill white police officers to avenge black lives taken by white police officers, including the Nov. 21 Tamir Rice shooting, officials said.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Heartless Felons gang gave its members orders to kill white police officers to avenge black lives taken by white police officers, including the Nov. 21 Tamir Rice shooting, officials said.
The Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Office received the tip and deemed it credible enough to reach out to local police departments to make them aware of the threat.
Sheriff's office spokesman John O'Brien would not say where or when they got the tip.
O'Brien said the sheriff's office declined to give specific information about the threat for fear that it would benefit the gang.
Officials at Bedford and Maple Heights police departments said they have heard rumblings of potential upheaval, but said they were not given any notification of specific threats.
The notoriously violent and fast-growing Heartless Felons gang has its roots in local juvenile prison systems but has spilled out to the streets of Cleveland.
It's the second largest prison gang in the state and its members are known for terrorizing detention centers. Various street crimes have been connected to the gang as well.
The Solon Police Department posted a safety notice for its officers regarding the threat.
"This is a time period of turbulence and unrest that we have not experienced in a long time," the notice says. "Be extra careful to watch your backs, on duty and off."
A spokesman for the Cleveland Division of Police said he was not aware of the threat.
Cleveland officer Timothy Loehmann fatally shot 12-year-old Tamir Rice on Nov. 21 when he responded to a call about a man with a gun near Cudell Recreation Center. The gun later proved to be an airsoft-type pellet gun and the shooting is under review by CDP's use of deadly force investigation team.
Sheriff's office spokesman John O'Brien would not say where or when they got the tip.
O'Brien said the sheriff's office declined to give specific information about the threat for fear that it would benefit the gang.
Officials at Bedford and Maple Heights police departments said they have heard rumblings of potential upheaval, but said they were not given any notification of specific threats.
The notoriously violent and fast-growing Heartless Felons gang has its roots in local juvenile prison systems but has spilled out to the streets of Cleveland.
It's the second largest prison gang in the state and its members are known for terrorizing detention centers. Various street crimes have been connected to the gang as well.
The Solon Police Department posted a safety notice for its officers regarding the threat.
"This is a time period of turbulence and unrest that we have not experienced in a long time," the notice says. "Be extra careful to watch your backs, on duty and off."
A spokesman for the Cleveland Division of Police said he was not aware of the threat.
Cleveland officer Timothy Loehmann fatally shot 12-year-old Tamir Rice on Nov. 21 when he responded to a call about a man with a gun near Cudell Recreation Center. The gun later proved to be an airsoft-type pellet gun and the shooting is under review by CDP's use of deadly force investigation team.
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