I-Team: New fallout from Cleveland mayor’s crash

CLEVELAND (WJW) — The FOX 8 I-Team has uncovered new fallout from the crash of a police SUV carrying Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb .

The cost to taxpayers just went up, and it could go even higher.

The city is paying for the damage to the other driver’s van. The city could also face a lawsuit.

We reported earlier that the city is already paying $26,000 to repair the police SUV driving the mayor.

Last month, a police officer driving Mayor Bibb called dispatch, saying, “Car one to radio. Car one to radio.”

Records show the mayor’s driver put on emergency lights, went through a stop light, then collided with another driver.

Dispatch asked the officer, “You were involved?”

He responded, “Yes.”

Now, we’ve learned the city settled with the company owning the other vehicle involved.

“The business settled for the value of [the vehicle] and the city will pay $3,900,” the mayor’s office told us — all tax dollars, since the city is self-insured.

In the meantime, the city said the other driver involved has retained a lawyer. The city has been notified, but has not yet been sued.

At the scene, the other driver told police he had the green light. On police body camera video, you hear him say, “Last time I saw it, it was green. And the next thing I know, the black car came through the intersection.”

An officer asks, “Are you injured?” The driver shows a small bandage near his elbow.

On the video, you also hear the mayor’s driver say, “The mayor needed to get somewhere.”

He said he had to get the mayor to an emergency meeting. We later learned that involved a hack of City Hall computers that had occurred days before.

The officer driving the mayor did not get a ticket, but the city has started the process of scheduling a hearing for possible internal discipline.

The city will also have a committee review the crash to determine if it was preventable. But investigators do not have any video from city of Cleveland street cameras.

We filed a request, but we didn’t get back any city security video from the scene, or the surrounding area.

Also at the scene, the mayor, in an ambulance, spoke briefly to a detective.

He has not spoken about this to the I-Team.

However, the city is answering to an insurance claim. A lawsuit may be next.

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