Cincinnati attorney Clyde Bennett has met with many men who were on the run from police, but he said he's never had a night like he did Monday.
He said AR-15-style rifles were aimed at him. He was handcuffed in the back of a police cruiser for nearly an hour. But Bennett said it's all part of the job – a job he's been doing for 28 years .
Bennett told The Enquirer he was in Wyoming on Monday night, meeting with Jaeron Pope, who was wanted in connection to the death of Darious Dickey.
Police said Dickey was shot multiple times in Springfield Township on Saturday. Investigators said it was Pope who pulled the trigger and was seen running from the apartment.
Pope's family hired Bennett to represent him, and he was preparing Pope to turn himself in.
Bennett said they were getting ready to leave the apartment to the Hamilton County Justice Center so Pope could turn himself in when the Hamilton County SWAT team surrounded the building along with Springfield Township and Wyoming police.
He said it's common for lawyers to meet with fugitives and help their clients turn themselves in. He said he had not alerted police that he was doing so.
"I've never had AR-15 rifles pointed at me. I've never been handcuffed and arrested and put in the back of a cruiser," Bennett said. "It was very scary. Last night if I would have made one false move, I would have been dead... but I understand it's policy."
Pope is the suspect in another shooting as well, court records state.
Cincinnati police say he shot a man Feb. 20 during an argument in Mount Airy. According to court documents, he dropped his gun, leaving it at the scene, and fled in a vehicle.
Pope was charged with felonious assault. He was released and allowed to await trial at home after posting 10% of a $75,000 bond on Feb. 22.
Bennett is not currently representing Pope in that case.
Pope appear in court Tuesday morning on the murder charge. His new bond was set at $1 million.
Bennett did not comment on his client's case, but said he will ask the court to consider that he was on his way to turn himself in at the time of his arrest.
Bennett said part of a defense attorney's job is to help get their clients turned in safely.
"If you represent your client to the fullest extent of the law, this is one of those predicaments you might find yourself in," Bennett said, adding that the officers were just doing their jobs. "Even though they had a strong show of force, I thought they were professional."
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