CPD: Cincinnati Police Officer Attacked with Own Weapons During Investigation

City leaders are speaking out after a Cincinnati Police Department officer was allegedly attacked with his own equipment by a person he was investigating.

According to a statement from CPD, Central Business Section officers were sent to Sawyer Point Park around 7 a.m. on July 23 for reports of a person “exposing themselves” near the tennis courts.

The department said the initial officer on the scene encountered the suspect who then attacked the officer. According to Hamilton County Court records, Brandon Claiborne, 34, “punched the officer while taking his taser and beating the officer in his face with the taser.”

Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) president Dan Hils told local media the officer, identified by Hils as ​​Terry McGuffey, was beaten by the suspect with his own baton, tased with own taser, and that the suspect attempted to “gouge the officer’s eyes out.” CityBeat reached out to Hils to confirm this information but did not hear back by press time.

CPD said other officers who responded as backup arrived at the scene to find McGuffey on the ground, the suspect standing over the officer. Claiborne was arrested without incident while McGuffey was transported to University of Cincinnati Medical Center for “serious, but non-life-threatening injuries,” according to CPD.

CPD Chief Teresa Theetge released an impassioned statement on July 23 about the officer’s injuries and what she hopes prosecutors will do in this case.

“I am appalled and saddened by the violent attack that took place this morning against one of our officers. We all know that policing can be a dangerous profession, but it must be abundantly unacceptable for our officers to be physically attacked. All officers begin their tour of duty with the ultimate desire of returning home to loved ones without being injured or killed in the line of duty. This hope is not always the outcome when confronted by a violent assailant as seen by today’s incident,” Theetge said. “We are forever grateful that our officer’s life was spared today, but we are without a doubt hurt that pain and injury was caused to our officer by simply answering a call for service and doing his job. The individual responsible for this vicious crime has been arrested and must be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”

CPD said an investigation into what happened is still ongoing. Mayor Aftab Pureval tweeted about the incident, calling it “disgusting.”

“This morning’s horrific attack against @CincyPD officer McGuffey was unconscionable. Officers risk their lives to serve and protect our community — and to be met with violence is as disgusting as it is unacceptable,” the mayor tweeted.

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