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After Parma, OH police officers brutalize her 13-year-old son, mother files citizen-initiated criminal charges

Tuesday, August 11, 2026

Mother seeks justice for son, when Parma and law enforcement fail to act.


Parma police officers slam a child's face into a stone wall and drag it.

CLEVELAND, OH — Today, Lisa Gonzalez, on behalf of her 13-year-old minor child, filed private-citizen-initiated criminal charges in the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas under R.C. 2935.09(A) and (D), asking a judge to find probable cause that Parma police officers Michael B. Frinzl, Olivia Bartulovic, and Ryan J. Sopko committed crimes, issue arrest warrants for them, and appoint a special prosecutor.

The citizen-initiated filing charges Officer Frinzl with multiple offenses, including second-degree felonious assault, child endangering, violating the child’s civil rights, falsification, tampering with evidence, and failure to report a crime. Officer Bartulovic faces criminal charges including second-degree felonious assault, child endangering, falsification, and complicity. Officer Sopko is criminally charged with assault, child endangering, failure to report, and complicity.

According to the affidavit, the charges stem from an August 13, 2025 incident at Walters Grove Park. After police responded to a minor dispute among 13-year-old friends, the child tossed a stick at the rear hatchback door of his mother's van while standing far away from officers. In response, officers chased down the 70-pound child, tackled him into the dirt, aggressively handcuffed him, and transported him to the Parma police station.

At the station, the charges allege and video shows, officers twice slammed the child’s head into walls.

Video evidence supports citizen criminal charges against officers

The affidavit details graphic body-camera and station security footage supporting the criminal charges against the officers:

  • Felonious assault and facial scarring: The filing alleges that Officers Frinzl and Bartulovic dragged the handcuffed 13-year-old child across a gravel area and smashed his face into the exterior rough-stone wall of the police station, grinding his face downward. The assault left deep abrasions and permanent facial scars.

  • Child endangering and joint-stress abuse: The affidavit asserts that Officers Frinzl, Bartulovic, and Sopko lifted the 70-pound child by his feet and his handcuffed arms—wrenched behind his back at a 90-degree angle—suspending his entire body weight from his shoulders as he screamed in pain.

  • Retaliatory assault inside holding cell: According to the affidavit, when the child orally criticized Officer Frinzl inside a holding cell, Officer Frinzl pushed the boy backward over a bench with both hands, causing his head to hit the wall.

  • Falsification and evidence tampering: The filing charges Officer Frinzl with falsification and tampering with evidence for lying on body camera that the child kicked him in the testicles to justify the violence and mislead prosecutors. The affidavit notes that juvenile charges against the child were subsequently dismissed with prejudice and sealed.

A video reel of the body-camera and overhead City of Parma security-camera footage depicting the police brutality is linked above and available on YouTube.

The affidavit alleges that the officers' brutality has left the child afflicted with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Filing requests judicial arrest warrants and appointment of special prosecutor

Under R.C. 2935.09(D) and R.C. 2935.10(A), private citizens with knowledge of facts may file an affidavit charging criminal offenses directly with a reviewing judge. The filing requests that the court issue arrest warrants forthwith for Officers Frinzl, Bartulovic, and Sopko, and refer the matter to an independent special prosecutor to handle prosecution, because of the obvious conflict of interest involving Parma municipal authorities.

Subodh Chandra, lead counsel for complainant Lisa Gonzalez and her child, issued the following statement regarding the criminal charges:

A mother had to file these charges because Parma officials have been dragging their feet and doing nothing, one year after the brutality incidents. When police officers commit violent felonies on video against a handcuffed, 70-pound child in their custody, they are not above the law. When law-enforcement institutions fail to act, Ohio law affords citizens the right to present evidence directly to a judge. The affidavit alleges that body-camera footage shows Officers Frinzl, Bartulovic, and Sopko committed brutal acts of felonious assault, child endangerment, and cover-up falsification. Ms. Gonzalez asks the court to find probable cause, issue warrants for their arrest, and appoint an independent special prosecutor to hold them criminally accountable.

The family is represented by Subodh Chandra and Emily Bohatch. The charges were filed in the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas, as Case No. CR-26-714649, and are available here.

About The Chandra Law Firm LLC

The Chandra Law Firm LLC is a boutique firm based in Cleveland, Ohio, dedicated to vindicating the rights of police-brutality victims, whistleblowers, and other victims of civil-rights violations. The firm is known for its advocacy in high-stakes litigation against government and corporate misconduct.

Chandra Law secures constitutional rights. And the firm helped pioneer work in holding individuals and companies accountable for civil liability for criminal acts, securing the two leading Supreme Court of Ohio decisions favorable to crime victims on the topic. If you think that your rights have been violated, you may contact us to discuss your options.

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Related Practice Areas
Constitutional LawFirst AmendmentPolice Misconduct & BrutalityFirst Amendment RetaliationSection 1983 Litigation: Holding Government Officials Accountable for Constitutional ViolationsPolice Brutality in California: What Are Your Rights?
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city-of-parmamichael-frinzlolivia-bartulovicryan-sopko

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