Latest news with #RockyRiverPoliceDepartment
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Local doctor indicted on ethnic intimidation in threats against Jewish-American congressman Max Miller
[Watch previous FOX 8 News coverage in the player above.] CLEVELAND (WJW) — A local doctor accused of threatening to kill U.S. Rep. Max Miller (R-Rocky River) and his family in an 'antisemitic' rant on a local highway has been indicted on new felony charges. Miller, who is Jewish-American, in a June social media post claimed that while he was on his way to work, the man tried to run him off the highway, while showing him a photo of a Palestinian flag on a cell phone and yelling 'Death to Israel' and another profane remark against Jewish people. Italy outraged at killing of police bloodhound, found dead after eating food laced with nails It happened just before 9:30 a.m. on June 19, 2025, on Interstate 90 East in Rocky River, according to authorities. Feras S. Hamdan, 36, of Avon, was initially charged with misdemeanor counts of ethnic intimidation and aggravated menacing in the Rocky River Municipal Court, to which he pleaded not guilty and was handed a $500,000 bond. A Cuyahoga County grand jury has since indicted him on felony counts of ethnic intimidation and tampering with evidence, as well as misdemeanor counts of aggravated menacing and menacing. 'Threatening violence towards an elected official and their family is unacceptable and will not be tolerated,' Prosecutor Michael O'Malley is quoted in the release. 'This type of mindless behavior is happening all too frequently in our country and it must come to an end. We are thankful no one was injured during this incident and for the exceptional investigation by the Rocky River Police Department which led to this prompt arrest and indictment.' Prosecutors allege Hamdan pulled up alongside Miller in his vehicle, honked his horn, then swerved into Miller's vehicle, causing Miller to swerve to avoid him. Miller then slowed down and drove next to Miller's car, and began threatening him and his family. Miller got off the highway and called 911. Hamdan followed, stopped near him and continued yelling at him, then fled the scene, according to the release. Hamdan recorded part of the interaction on his phone, sent that recording to others, then deleted it, according to county prosecutors. Former East Cleveland councilman sentenced after being found guilty in corruption case Hamdan later surrendered at the Rocky River Police Department and was booked into the Rocky River jail, according to police. At Hamdan's arraignment the day after the incident, Rocky River Prosecutor Michael O'Shea said authorities were still working to obtain the aforementioned cell phone for evidence. Speaking in open court, he warned that anyone suspected of tampering with the phone could face a felony charge more serious than the charges against Hamdan. Hamdan's attorney, Issa Elkhatib of Cleveland, said at Hamdan's arraignment last month that they would not surrender the phone, considering it a violation of Hamdan's First and Fourth amendment rights. Elkhatib said Hamdan is a natural-born U.S. citizen, a licensed physician with his own private practice and 'a model community member who has never committed a crime in his life.' Hamdan is set to be arraigned 'at a later date,' reads the release. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
New York Post
20-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Alleged Jew hater arrested for trying to run Rep. Max Miller off road while showing Palestinian flag and using slurs
Ohio police have arrested a man for allegedly attempting to run Republican Rep. Max Miller off the road Thursday while using anti-Jewish slurs and flying a Palestinian flag. Miller, 36, said in a video posted to X that an 'unhinged, deranged man decided to lay on his horn and run me off the road when he couldn't get my attention to show me a Palestinian flag.' Feras S. Hamdan, also 36, was arrested and charged with aggravated menacing following an investigation, the Rocky River, Ohio, police department said in a Friday press release. 3 Rep. Max Miller says he was the victim of an anti-Jewish road incident Thursday. AP 3 Feras Hamdan was arrested after police investigated. A police report says Miller accused Hamdan of calling him a 'dirty Jew.' 'Congressman Miller reported he was driving on Interstate 90 [around 9:30 a.m. Thursday] when the suspect threatened him and his family along with making antisemitic slurs,' the department said. '[T]he second party to the road rage incident was identified as [Hamdan] from Westlake… Hamdan voluntarily turned himself in at the Rocky River Police Department, with counsel, and is awaiting a court appearance.' 3 Miller says Hamdan called him a 'dirty Jew.' X/@MaxMillerOH The First Amendment generally protects Americans' use of religious and racial slurs, but when used in the commission of a crime can result in hate-crime designations for enhanced punishment. It was not immediately clear if Hamdan will face more stringent prosecution as a result. Miller, who represents and area south of Cleveland, is one of four Jewish House Republicans and worked in President Trump's first administration as an advance and personnel office aide.
New York Post
20-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Suspect accused of running Jewish GOP congressman off the road in ‘blatant antisemitic violence' arrested
A northeast Ohio man was arrested Thursday on allegations that he threatened and spewed antisemitic epithets at Republican U.S. Rep. Max Miller while the two were traveling on an interstate highway near Cleveland. Police in Rocky River said Feras S. Hamdan, 36, of Westlake, voluntarily turned himself in with counsel present and is awaiting an appearance in municipal court. A message was left with his lawyer seeking comment. Miller, who is Jewish, called 911 while driving on Interstate 90 on his way to work Thursday. He reported that another driver was cutting him off, making profane hand gestures, showing a Palestinian flag and shouting death threats targeted at him and his 1-year-old daughter. 4 Feras S. Hamdan, 36, of Westlake, voluntarily turned himself in with counsel present after allegations that he threatened and spewed antisemitic epithets at Republican U.S. Rep. Max Miller. Rocky River Police Department 4 Miller, who is Jewish, called 911 while driving on Interstate 90. X/@MaxMillerOH 4 Miller said that a driver was cutting him off, making profane hand gestures, showing a Palestinian flag and shouting death threats at him and his daughter. 4 Miller discussed the incident on social media. X/@MaxMillerOH After an interview with police, Miller filed a complaint against Hamdan alleging aggravated menacing and sought a criminal protective order. Local police continue to investigate with assistance from the U.S. Capitol Police, the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Attorney's office and the Rocky River prosecutor. The Ohio Jewish Caucus praised Rocky River police and extended their thoughts to Miller and his family, noting the incident followed by just days the politically motivated shootings in Minnesota, which left two people dead and two others injured. 'Enough is enough,' the all-Democratic legislative alliance said in a statement. 'There is no place for this type of violence — whether it be political, antisemitic, or ideological — whatsoever. We believe we can solve our differences with humility, not hatred.'
Time Magazine
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Time Magazine
Man Arrested After Ohio Rep. Max Miller Reports He Was ‘Run Off the Road'
A man accused of threatening U.S. Rep. Max Miller and his family, using antisemitic slurs, and running the lawmaker off the road has been arrested amid mounting political violence against elected officials. The suspect allegedly threatened the Ohio Congressman, who is Jewish and supports Israel, on Thursday morning and called for the death of Israel, the Congressmen, and his family, according to a video shared by Miller Thursday. The individual also waved the Palestinian flag at him, Miller added. Authorities have identified the man as Feras S. Hamdan of Westlake, Ohio. The Rocky River Police Department said the suspect ran Miller off the road on Interstate 90 and left the area before law enforcement arrived. The 36-year-old suspect voluntarily turned himself in, according to police, and is awaiting a court appearance. 'What happened to Max this morning is yet another outrageous example of unhinged rhetoric inspiring unstable people to threaten and attack elected officials who are serving their communities,' wrote Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson on Thursday. 'We must turn down the temperature in this country.' The incident comes following the shocking shooting of two Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses last weekend. Democratic state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were killed in what authorities described as a premeditated attack during which an assailant disguised himself as law enforcement and shot the victims at their home. Another Minnesota Democrat, state senator John Hoffman, and his wife, Yvette, were also shot multiple times and hospitalized. Both survived. A suspect has since been arrested and is facing multiple federal and state charges. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries also denounced the attack on Miller, calling on Congress to take action in response to this 'moment of crisis' to "ensure the safety of every single Member who serves in the People's House.' Research shows that political violence in the U.S. has been on the rise. The number of threats and other statements directed towards members of Congress, their family members, and staffers increased from nearly 4,000 in 2017 to 9,625 in 2021, per the U.S. Capitol Police. President Donald Trump was subject to two assassination attempts during his campaign last year.
NBC News
20-06-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
Suspect arrested after GOP Rep. Max Miller says he was 'run off the road' by a man waving a Palestinian flag
CLEVELAND — Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, said he was 'run off the road' Thursday morning in a Cleveland suburb by a man who waved a Palestinian flag and threatened Miller and his young daughter. The incident, which comes amid acute concerns about a rise in political violence, is being investigated by the U.S. Capitol Police and by police in Rocky River, Ohio. A suspect, Feras S. Hamdan of Westlake, Ohio, turned himself in to Rocky River police after Miller signed a criminal complaint for aggravated menacing and an arrest warrant was issued, Rocky River officials said. Hamdan's attorney did not immediately respond to a message. 'I was just driving to work, and I was cut off by a man in a Tesla who held up a Palestinian flag to me, and then rolled down his window and said that 'I'm going to cut your throat and your daughter's,' Miller, who is Jewish, is heard saying on a 9111 call, audio of which the Rocky River Police Department released along with a statement Friday. 'And he said, 'You're a dirty Jew. I'm going to f---ing kill you all, and I know who you are and where you live.'' Miller, 36, told 911 dispatchers that he followed the man on Interstate 90 and rolled down his window to better hear what he was saying and to take note of his license plate number. 'I am a little shaken, to be quite honest,' Miller told a dispatcher in Lakewood, the neighboring suburb where Miller exited the interstate. 'I have a weapon on me. I'm glad I didn't use it.' During one stretch of Miller's 9111 call, a vehicle's horn can be heard honking — a detail that the dispatcher noted to police officials for their report. The police report also noted that while officers searched the interstate for a 'flag that may have been thrown out' of the suspect's car, no flag was located there. Julie Morron, operations manager for the Rocky River Police Department, said a flag has yet to be found but that the investigation is ongoing. Miller publicly commented on the incident Thursday in a video accompanying a social media post in which he expressed relief that his daughter, who is 1, was not in the car with him. A police report was not available to the public in the immediate hours after Thursday's incident, with officials waiting to gather more details before releasing documents Friday. Morron told NBC News on Thursday that Miller had been the alleged victim of a 'road rage incident' and 'could not wait to speak with officers' but agreed to later in the day. The suspect's car also had left the area by the time local officers responded, police said. In his video, Miller said that he had 'gone about my day' and 'carried on' with scheduled meetings. In a text message late Thursday, Miller wrote that he wanted to keep to his 'set schedule of meetings' to 'send a message' that his work would not be slowed by the incident. Miller was later interviewed by police in Rocky River, according to the department's statement. 'After further investigation, the second party to the road rage incident was identified' as Hamdan, the department said. Hamdan is awaiting a court appearance. Rocky River officials are investigating the incident, along with Capitol Police, the FBI, the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Ohio, Rocky River police said. In a statement Friday, Capitol Police said the department immediately deployed special agents to the area to assist in the investigation and to locate Hamdan. 'In less than 24 hours, the USCP received notification of a threat against a Member of Congress, had boots on the ground, collaborated with the local police department, and the suspect in the case was arrested that same evening,' acting Capitol Police chief Sean Gallagher said the statement. 'This case is a prime example of the USCP's stance towards threats against our elected officials. We will continue to have a zero-tolerance policy.' The alleged incident occurred about 10 miles west of Cleveland and came less than a week after two Democratic state lawmakers were shot — one fatally — in what authorities have described as a politically motivated attack in Minnesota. 'If you have an issue with a legislator, your city councilman, your mayor, anyone like that, the appropriate thing to do is to reach out to them for a phone call, to set up a meeting at one of our district offices,' Miller said in his video. 'What is not OK is to assault anyone, whether you're a member of Congress or anybody else within our district, while you're driving to work.' House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., wrote in a social media post Thursday that the incident 'is yet another outrageous example of unhinged rhetoric inspiring unstable people to threaten and attack elected officials who are serving their communities.' Johnson added: 'We must turn down the temperature in this country.' House Democratic leaders also condemned the incident. 'We condemn in the strongest possible terms the attack on Congressman Max Miller and his family and are thankful they are safe,' House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark of Massachusetts and Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar of California said Thursday in a joint statement. 'The rise in political violence in this country is unacceptable. This is a moment of crisis that requires Congress to act decisively in order to ensure the safety of every single Member who serves in the People's House.'
