An Ohio man has been indicted on several charges, including the attempted murder of a federal officer, following an incident in Cleveland on October 15. Larry Leon Dwight Wiley, 55, was charged by a federal grand jury with four counts related to the confrontation.
The indictment includes charges of attempted murder of a federal officer, assault on federal officers with a deadly weapon, using and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, and being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Wiley’s previous convictions include felonious assault in 2010, domestic violence in 2009, aggravated robbery with firearm specification in 2000, burglary in 1999, and assault on a police officer in 1998.
According to the criminal complaint affidavit, members of the U.S. Marshals Service Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force went to serve an arrest warrant for Wiley at his Cleveland apartment. Officers announced themselves as law enforcement before breaching the door. Wiley allegedly fired a handgun toward them, hitting a deputy U.S. Marshal in the arm with a .380 caliber round. The injured deputy was taken to the hospital for treatment. After firing at officers, Wiley barricaded himself inside the apartment for several hours before surrendering.
If found guilty, Wiley could face up to 20 years in prison each for attempted murder and assault charges; up to life imprisonment for discharging a firearm during a crime of violence; and up to 15 years for being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition. Sentencing will depend on various factors considered by the court.
The investigation is being conducted by the FBI Cleveland Division, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and Cleveland Division of Police. The Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Office also assisted. Prosecution is led by Assistant United States Attorneys Margaret A. Sweeney, Scott Zarzycki, and James P. Lewis from the Northern District of Ohio.
Authorities emphasize that “an indictment is merely an allegation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.”
