CLEVELAND — Sergeant Alexander Sinclair of the Cleveland Division of Police was arrested while off-duty by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Thursday, Cleveland police confirmed.

What You Need To Know

  • A Cleveland police sergeant was arrested Thursday after allegedly firing a gun during an altercation in an elementary school parking lot

  • A deputy/school resource officer arrested Alexander Sinclair of the Cleveland Division of Police on the campus of Riverview Elementary in Painesville Township

  • The incident is still under investigation

  • He is charged with felonious assault, two counts of kidnapping and discharge of a firearm on or near a prohibited premise

A press release from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office recounted the events that led to Sinclair’s arrest.

It states that, around 9:10 a.m., a deputy/school resource officer at Riverview Elementary in Painesville Township approached two vehicles in the school parking lot after becoming “aware of an incident occurring” and heard a gun shot.

“He observed a male outside the vehicle with a firearm and ordered him to drop the weapon,” the release reads. “Once the male complied and released the firearm, a struggle ensued with the male and ultimately the Deputy was able to detain him.”

The sheriff’s office said the incident began off campus and appeared to be a domestic dispute. They say this “carried onto the campus” where Sinclair’s car crashed into the other.

An altercation ensued, the sheriff's office says, and a bullet was shot through the other car’s windshield but did not hit anyone.

The deputy involved, the suspect and the victims in the other car had received minor injuries.

“Although this incident occurred on the campus of the school, the round was fired in the direction away from the school,” the release reads. “Riverview Elementary was very quickly placed in a Lockdown and all students and staff of the school were uninjured. The incident did not carry over into the school. The Lake County Sheriff’s Office and other police and fire department partners remained at the school to help with reuniting children with their parents.”

The release from Cleveland police said the Lake County Sheriff’s Office will be handling the investigation, which will be monitored by the Cleveland Police Internal Affairs Unit so they are aware of the results.

Sinclair was most recently working basic patrol section for the Fifth District, Cleveland police confirm, and was hired by the department in 2015.

“Following the arrest, Alexander Sinclair was relieved of duty and will remain suspended without pay pending the adjudication of the criminal charges,” the release reads.

He is charged with the following, according to court documents:

  • Second-degree felonious assault
  • Two counts of kidnapping (first-degree felonies)
  • Discharge of a firearm on or near a prohibited premise (second-degree felony)

No bond has been set, but a temporary protection order was issued. He will have a preliminary hearing on Nov. 4.