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Woman says Ohio police raided wrong home

Courtney Price said her 17-month-old son, who has pre-existing conditions, was injured in the raid.
A home that was raided in Ohio.
Posted at 7:04 PM, Jan 15, 2024

A young mother is demanding an apology after police raided her home in Elyria, Ohio, with her medically-challenged toddler inside.

On Jan. 10, police executed a search warrant on the home for an "ongoing criminal investigation." Police said they deployed two "flash-bangs" outside of the residence. 

“I didn’t have time to make it to the door to open it,” Courtney Price said, noting that her 17-month-old son was in his baby swing at the time. 

“I remember seeing the flash at the top and the smoke coming through the window,” Price said. 

She was placed in handcuffs while her son remained in the house as officers investigated. 

“It was exactly 39 minutes until he was taken out of the house,” Price said.

Police were apparently looking for a teenager whom Price said she does not know. 

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The police department says officers responded to the correct address on the warrant. However, Price said the individual had moved. 

"It’s not whether they came in and did the raid wrong or not, it’s that they didn’t do the detective work,” Price said.

The mayor of Elyria released a statement that the raid is under investigation. 

Price said her son, who has pre-existing conditions because he was born premature, suffered chemical irritations from the flash-bangs. 

“At least an apology to me and my son is deserved. Not once has anyone tried to check on him,” Price said. 

Police dispute that the toddler was injured in the raid.

"Diversionary devices do not produce a continuous burn and they do not deploy or contain any pepper gas or chemical agents," the department said in a statement. 

This story was originally reported by Tara Morgan at Scripps News Cleveland.