CNICINNATI — A seventh person has been arrested in connection with a violent fight in downtown Cincinnati on July 26.
Gregory Wright, 32, was arrested for aggravated rioting and aggravating robbery. Jail records show Wright was booked into the Hamilton County Justice Center Monday afternoon.
Cincinnati police confirmed Wright was a suspect they were searching for who allegedly stole a chain off of a person's neck during the fight. His arraignment is scheduled for Tuesday morning.
Police previously charged 24-year-old Dekyra Vernon, 25-year-old Aisha Devaughn, 34-year-old Montianez Merriweather, 37-year-old Dominique Kittle, 39-year-old Jermaine Matthews and 38-year-old Patrick Rosemond — who was arrested in Fulton County, Georgia — in connection with the fight.
The six people originally charged were indicted last week on two counts of aggravated rioting, three counts of assault and three counts of felonious assault.
Hamilton County Prosecutor Connie Pillich said the charges applied by the grand jury were universally applied to all defendants because of Ohio's complicity laws. Under Ohio law, anyone involved in a crime can be charged the same "as if he were a principal offender" if they were all engaged in the crime together.
That means each defendant is now facing the same charges as the offender accused of the most violence, regardless of their actions during the fight. It is unclear if Wright will also be indicted on those charges.
In a community meeting Monday morning, Ohio state Rep. Cecil Thomas questioned why Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge and other officials have not announced any charges for a man involved in the fight who appeared to slap another man toward the beginning of the altercation.
He said the lack of charges for a person who appeared to have incited the fight "raises serious questions on whether there is bias involved in the investigation."
"The Black community of this city demands to be respected, and until justice is fully served, this city can not and will not move forward," said Thomas.
Chief Teresa Theetge spoke last week about her department's attempts to speak with the man accused of slapping one of the suspects.
"Just yesterday, asking the investigators to go to the Justice Center, speak with him. He is represented by counsel. The investigators are aware of that. They spoke to his counsel before they went down to see him, and the counsel said no, they did not want the police talking to his client. So therefore, we have not had a conversation with him yet," Theetge said.
Theetge said in a press conference after the fight that anyone who "placed their hands on somebody in an attempt to cause harm" will face consequences.
"I don't care which side of the incident, the fight, they were on ... that's unacceptable," Theetge said.
