One of the suspects in a brutal Cincinnati assault was out on bond for multiple gun charges just weeks earlier, according to Fox 4 News.
Montianez Merriweather, along with Dekyra Vernon and Jermaine Matthews, was arrested after a viral video allegedly showed them beating several people outside LoVe Bar on Saturday, leaving victims seriously injured. Merriweather had been charged on July 10 with receiving stolen property, possession of a firearm while under disability, carrying a concealed weapon and improper transport of a firearm, according to the outlet. (RELATED: Cincinnati’s Police Chief Calls Out Alcohol, Social Media Over Brawl)
He previously served seven years in prison for armed robbery, according to Local 12 News. Despite his record, family members defended him.
“He did his time … he has changed his life completely,” one relative told the outlet. “Everything they’re trying to point [him out to be] — a thug — that is not him.”
🚨WATCH: Police Chief Teresa Theetge shames “social media and journalism” for sharing video footage of a woman being beaten during a brutal street fight in downtown Cincinnati, claiming the post is just “one version of what occurred.” pic.twitter.com/xQhY376HLA
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) July 29, 2025
Viral videos show a man being chased outside the bar, then kicked and stomped by a mob. A woman who tried to help was also attacked and knocked unconscious.
Merriweather’s bond was set at $500,000, while Vernon’s and Matthews’ were set at $200,000 and $100,000, respectively, Local 12 reported. Matthews’ bond is expected to increase after felonious assault charges are added.
Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge faced backlash after claiming in a Monday press conference that social media and journalists were “misrepresenting” the incident and that the footage lacked context. Theetge is also facing a lawsuit accusing her of “intentional and discriminatory practices” against white male officers.