Man acquitted in attack on police officer

23-year-old was shot by officer after fight outside nightclub.

An East Cleveland AKRON — man charged after a police officer shot him outside a popular Akron nightclub was acquitted of what police characterized as an attack on an officer, court records show.

Jamon Pruiett, 23, was charged with felonious assault on a police officer after a fight outside the ZAR Nightclub on South Main Street at East Exchange Street. Pruiett was found not guilty of charge Thursday, according to the Summit County Clerk of Courts office.

Latrent Redrick, 21, of Cleveland Heights, was also charged with inducing panic in the incident. A judge sentenced him to six months in jail for his role in the brawl that led to the shooting, court records say.

Officers went to the bar about 2:30 a.m. Oct. 2 to investigate a report of a large group of people involved in a brawl. People in the crowd scattered when the officers arrived, but another fight broke out in front of a nearby business, Akron police said.

An officer said that he saw Redrick point a handgun at several people, and the officer fired several shots, police said. At least one shot hit Redrick.

Pruiett grabbed the gun when Redrick fell to the ground, and Pruiett fired a shot toward the officer, authorities said. The officer returned fire and shot Pruiett, police said.

Detectives recovered the handgun at the scene.

Akron police have declined to release the identify of the officer involved in the shooting.

The officer was placed on paid administrative leave after the shooting, which is the department’s standard policy for officer-involved shooting investigations.

Messages left for an Akron police spokesman with questions about the officer’s identity and shooting were not immediately returned.