Cleveland Task Force Arrests Woman in Connection with Street Takeovers

CLEVELAND, Ohio – A Cleveland police task force arrested a woman Thursday and seized several weapons and two vehicles in connection with street shootings in late September.

Samantha Olafsson, 25, of Cleveland, was wanted for aggravated rioting, disrupting utilities, tampering with evidence, possession of criminal tools and fleeing and eluding, police said.

She was arrested by the Cleveland Takeover Task Force and accused of participating in the Sept. 28 and 29 takeovers, where drivers performed stunts and lit fires while blocking several intersections.

Authorities obtained warrants for two separate locations, where they also seized three guns, a 2014 Jeep Cherokee and a 2022 Dodge Charger.

So far, at least 14 people have been arrested for their role in the street takeovers at the end of September. last monthElicia Dix, 21, and Rubén Vázquez, 21 They were arrested and charged. The couple was arrested after officers saw them speeding on the Ohio Turnpike in Lucas County.

In November, Authorities arrested four men in Columbus. Ashlyn Rogers, 23, of Port Clinton, is accused of planning the event.

Jordan McDonald, 25, of South Euclid, was also charged. Prosecutors say McDonald was involved in seven locations on the night of the inauguration.

At East 105th Street and Martin Luther King Drive, participants blocked an ambulance and shot an officer with pellets from a BB gun on the night of the takeover.

Participants also blocked intersections and lit fires on East 55th Street and Woodland Avenue, Lee Road and Miles Avenue. The takeover ended after 4 a.m. on Sept. 29, on Interstate 90. Participants lit bonfires, set off fireworks and pointed guns at drivers.

Prosecutors also said that during another street takeover on Sept. 15, John Alan Dietrich of Barberton and Gauge Michael Thomas Franklin lit fires at West 25th Street and Lorain Avenue. Both men pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated arson.