CINCINNATI — Ohio Senator Bernie Moreno said he will ask all federal agencies to suspend funding for Cincinnati if local leaders do not "put together an action plan ... to protect the civil rights of their citizens."
Moreno told our partners at Scripps News he has spoken every day with one of the women injured in what police are calling a "violent attack" downtown early Saturday morning. He said the woman, whom he identified as Holly, is a middle-aged woman with a special needs child.
"She just wanted to have a night out with some friends, you saw what I saw in that video — a complete lunatic attacked her, a mob didn't do anything about it," Moreno said.
WATCH: Moreno calls out Cincinnati officials, threatens to suspend federal funding
The senator said after the attack, "one police officer came by ... nobody called an ambulance, the police didn't take her to get her aid, she took an Uber home." Since then, she's been in and out of the hospital multiple times.
Moreno shared those graphic images on his social media Wednesday night, telling Scripps News he posted them "because we can never have another situation like that again."
When asked what he believes the mayor and police chief should do, Moreno spoke about how Mayor Aftab Pureval was on vacation when the attack occurred and should "come back to actually put a plan of action together." He also called on Chief Teresa Theetge to speak about how short-staffed CPD is, instead of "(blaming) social media."
Moreno spoke about a plan he first mentioned on Fox News Thursday morning to review federal funding going to Cincinnati.
"I've given the city council and the mayor 30 days to put together an action plan of what they're going to do to protect the civil rights of their citizens," Moreno said. "If they fail to do that, I will convene the federal agencies that provide money to Cincinnati and ask them to suspend federal funding until there is a plan in place."
We reached out to Pureval regarding Moreno's threat to remove federal funding if action is not taken. His team told us Pureval did cut his vacation short to return home Thursday. In a statement, the mayor said Moreno's claims that there is no plan are false.
"We’re focused on actually solving problems in Cincinnati, rather than using tragedies to play political games and punish residents," Pureval said in part. "It is blatantly false that there is no public safety plan in Cincinnati, and our Senator should know that."
Pureval noted the city's previous summer safety plan targeting violent crime, including the launch of CPD's Drone as First Responder (DFR) program, new walking patrols and the creation of the street crime task force.
"There is obviously more work to be done, particularly in our downtown, but let’s be clear about the fact that our strategies have led to a significant reduction in violence citywide since taking office," the mayor said. "Senator Moreno’s choice to engage in political theater and threaten to harm residents, rather than coming to the table, is extremely disappointing."
Pureval, Theetge and Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine Thursday evening also announced a plan for the state to provide Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers to Cincinnati to help address violent crime.
The mayor's team said he will be hosting a press conference Friday to address the public.
