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Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, is introducing “Holly’s Act” after a woman was violently attacked by a mob in Cincinnati late last month – a move aimed at ending what he calls the justice system’s revolving door for repeat offenders.
The attack happened around 3 a.m. on July 26 at the intersection of Fourth and Elm streets in Cincinnati’s central business district.
Bystander video captured the moment a large group turned on several individuals early that morning, and in one video obtained by Fox News Digital, an unidentified man could be heard yelling racial slurs while being beaten in the street. Other footage appears to show the male victim striking a member of the group shortly before the altercation escalated.
In another video, a woman later identified only as “Holly” tried to intervene before she was slammed to the ground and knocked unconscious.
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A single 911 call came several minutes after the incident, despite more than 100 people standing by, recording, or participating in the melee.
Moreno held a press conference in Cincinnati on Wednesday after meeting with city officials, the FBI special agent in charge, the future U.S. attorney, police chief and a deputy from the local sheriff’s department.
Moreno described the meeting as starting “a little rough,” but said it ended productively.
Ultimately, he said everyone at the table agreed to work together to make certain that what happened on July 26 never happens again. He also said he wants to make sure anyone who lives in Ohio can visit any of the state’s cities.
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“We’re going to talk to some of our state legislators to see if we can put something in place that I call — with her permission — ‘Holly’s Act,’ which is how we raise the bar on minimum sentences, minimum bail requirements… We’re going to end the revolving door of injustice,” Moreno said.
“Our judges can no longer hide behind their cloak, and they have to be held accountable for not upholding law and order,” he added.
Law enforcement officials risk their lives every day to arrest criminals, which involves going out and making difficult arrests. But when those criminals appear in court, judges undermine the police officers’ efforts by “giving criminals a slap on the hand,” the senator said.
“Let’s be honest, because a lot of times you guys are qualifying this as a brawl,” Moreno told reporters. “This was attempted murder of an innocent woman. And that person had a rap sheet a mile long. Nobody who has that rap sheet should be walking the streets of any Ohio city free.”
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Standing beside Moreno was Holly, who said she was focused on reform—not reliving the trauma.
“I’m here to talk about the future and how we can change it; how we can prevent this from happening to anybody else,” she said. “These heinous crimes have to stop. You know, I never want this to happen to anyone else, especially a mother, a daughter, or somebody who is loved.”
Holly said moving forward, more police officers are needed, as is justice reform that prohibits judges from letting people out of custody with a slap on the wrist.
“The man who attacked me, and might have permanently damaged me forever, should have never been on the streets, ever,” she said. “The fact that he had just gotten out of jail previously for something he should have been in there for years. It’s really sad to me because I can’t even fathom how many other people who have been attacked by the same type of man over and over and over in Toledo, in Columbus, Cincinnati, Dayton.”
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Holly said what upsets her most is the public’s desensitization to violence.
Holly said she hopes one day there is some sort of bill that allows someone to be prosecuted or fined if they do not call 911 first to save someone’s life.
“We all need to help each other out and start helping humanity,” she said.
One reporter asked Holly if she felt like she was going to die that night.
“I truly felt like I was going to die,” Holly said. “I’m still shocked that I didn’t—and so are my doctors.”
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Moreno told reporters that during the meeting, the attendees spoke about offering signing bonuses for police officers as a way to bring on more staff.
He said at the end of the day, a better police presence and better technology will help prevent incidents like that from July 26 from happening.
But Moreno also stressed how critically important it is for civilians to call authorities so that aid can be brought in as soon as possible.
“We’re not people that watch a woman get beaten to the inch of her life and our first instinct is to get out and videotape something so that you can be cool on Instagram,” he said. “That’s not who we are.”
Several individuals have been charged in connection with what police describe as “a violent attack,” including Dominique Kittle, Montianez Merriweather, Jermaine Matthews, DeKyra Vernon, Aisha Devaugh and Patrick Rosemond.
Rosemond, 38, was taken into custody Monday afternoon by the FBI and Atlanta Metropolitan Major Offender’s Task Force in Fulton County, Georgia. He is charged with two counts of felonious assault and aggravated riot, according to the Cincinnati Police Department.
He is also charged with one count of fugitive from justice for a fingerprintable charge, according to the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office.
He is currently being held in the Fulton County Jail while awaiting extradition to Ohio, police said. Rosemond is a Cincinnati resident and does not have any registered addresses in Georgia, according to records obtained by Fox News Digital.
A grand jury is scheduled to convene on Aug. 8 for the charges filed against Kittle, Vernon, Matthews and Merriweather.
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