Rebecca C. Lutzko United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio
An Ohio man has been indicted on several federal charges, including attempted murder of a federal officer, following an incident in Cleveland last month. Larry Leon Dwight Wiley, 55, was charged by a federal grand jury on October 29 with four counts related to an encounter with law enforcement officers.
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 prior convictions include felonious assault (2010), domestic violence (2009), aggravated robbery with firearm specification (2000), burglary (1999), and assault on a police officer (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 on October 15. Officers announced themselves as law enforcement before breaching the door. Wiley allegedly fired a handgun toward the officers, striking a deputy U.S. Marshal in the arm with a .380 caliber round. The injured marshal was taken to the hospital for treatment.
Following the shooting, Wiley barricaded himself inside the apartment. The standoff lasted several hours before he surrendered and was taken into custody.
If convicted, Wiley could face up to 20 years in prison for each of Counts 1 and 2; up to life imprisonment for Count 3; and up to 15 years for Count 4. Sentencing will be determined by the court after considering factors such as criminal history and details specific to this case.
The investigation is being conducted by the FBI Cleveland Division, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Cleveland Division of Police, with assistance from the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorneys Margaret A. Sweeney, Scott Zarzycki, and James P. Lewis are prosecuting the case for the Northern District of Ohio.
“An indictment is merely an allegation. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.”
