Murder suspect released on bond paid by nonprofit before fatal RTA shooting: Records
Donnie Allen had been arrested 10 times since 2019, including four incidents at RTA stations
Donnie Allen, 25, was charged with murder in the shooting death of Ben McComas Sunday night at the Puritas and West 150th Street Rapid station.
CLEVELAND, Ohio - A murder suspect who appeared in court Wednesday had been released on bond paid by a nonprofit organization just five days before allegedly shooting and killing a man at an RTA station.
Donnie Allen, 25, was charged with murder in the shooting death of Ben McComas on Sunday night at the Puritas and West 150th Street Rapid station.
A judge set Allen’s bond at $1 million during his court appearance Wednesday morning.
Court records show Allen was arrested Dec. 4 at another RTA station on the west side and charged with drug possession and breaking and entering.
A judge set his bond at $15,000 in that case.
According to court documents, a nonprofit called “The Bail Project” paid $5,000 on Dec. 9, allowing Allen to go free.
Five days later, McComas was shot and killed.
Court records also show Allen has been arrested 10 times since 2019.
Four of those arrests occurred at RTA stations and involved RTA police.
19 News contacted RTA to ask if Allen could have been banned from RTA property after his numerous arrests and how the agency plans to keep people safe at stations after two deadly incidents within one week.
In an email, RTA said they do not have a policy to ban riders and are committed to keeping riders and their families safe.
The suspect (Mr. Donnie Allen) was arrested by GCRTA Transit Police on December 4, 2025, for felony crimes (Burglary, Drug Possession, Possessing Criminal Tools, and Having Weapons While Under Disability). His bond was initially set at $15K but was lowered by way of The Bail Project on 12/9.
He was released on December 9, 2025, five days before the incident at the GCRTA Puritas Rapid Station. Mr. Allen was arrested by Transit Police within minutes of the shooting at the Puritas station. The case was then turned over to the Cleveland Police Department for processing. Transit Police continues to provide all relevant and necessary information regarding this incident, as customary.
At this time, GCRTA does not have a customer banning policy. However, GCRTA remains committed to ensuring the safety of our customers and employees. We continue to monitor our stations in real-time and maintain a transit police presence on trains and buses daily, as manpower allows.
19 News reached out to The Bail Project for comment about their vetting process before paying a person’s bail.
The organization sent a statement that said, “The Bail Project condemns violence and we are deeply concerned by the recent allegation involving Mr. Allen. Any loss of life is a tragedy, and we remain committed to building a fairer, more just pretrial system that respects due process, promotes safety, and avoids a misguided reliance on cash bail.”
“The Bail Project condemns violence and we are deeply concerned by the recent allegation involving Mr. Allen. Our mission at The Bail Project is to ensure that people are not jailed pretrial solely because they cannot afford bail. Our organization exists to address inequities in a system where wealth often determines who remains incarcerated before trial. Only after a judicial decision approving release, with bail set by the court, does The Bail Project provide free bail assistance to satisfy that court-ordered condition. Any loss of life is a tragedy, and we remain committed to building a fairer, more just pretrial system that respects due process, promotes safety, and avoids a misguided reliance on cash bail.”
On Thursday, Cleveland Councilmembers Brian Kazy and Charles Slife released a statement demanding judicial accountability in the wake of the deadly shooting:
The recent death of Benjamin McComas at the Puritas-West 150th RTA Station this past Sunday is a senseless tragedy. We offer our deepest condolences to the McComas family as they mourn this unimaginable loss.
We are grateful for the actions of the GCRTA and Cleveland Police Departments in apprehending a suspect. However, disturbing details about the suspect’s history with the justice system have come to light and demand further investigation. According to public records, the individual in custody has a lengthy criminal history dating back years, including recent allegations of multiple violent crimes and charges for disrupting RTA services and official business.
Most alarmingly, the suspect was indicted on new charges—including drug possession and two counts of breaking and entering—on December 4. The suspect’s bond was initially set at $15,000, but a judge later reduced it to $5,000. On December 9, five days after his arrest, he was released after paying just $500 (10% of the total bond). Benjamin McComas was murdered five days later.
The suspect’s bond payment was provided by The Bail Project, a non-profit working to reform the bail system by providing free bail assistance to those who cannot afford it. While we recognize the broader need for bail reform, we question whether the court and the Bail Project adequately scrutinized the suspect’s extensive criminal history before facilitating his release.
The incident at Puritas-West 150th is not isolated. Recently, a violent episode occurred at the Superior Red Line station in East Cleveland, resulting in the death of seventeen-year-old Jamir Peak, and the injury of another unidentified teenager. We extend condolences to the families of these victims as well.
Public safety is a shared responsibility. When the court system takes a ‘revolving door’ approach to repeat offenders, it undermines the hard work of our police officers and, more importantly, it jeopardizes the lives of innocent citizens like Mr. McComas who rely on public transit. We cannot expect our residents to feel safe when those who repeatedly violate the law and threaten the public are allowed back onto our streets with minimal oversight.
We call for a thorough review of the bond decisions leading up to the suspect’s release and Mr. McComas’s senseless murder. Our community demands accountability. ‘Justice’ must be more than a word but a practice where the safety of the law-abiding public comes first
1 comment:
I no longer take public transportation. I won't ride a Bus or even ride in an UBER. They all suck. I've ridden subways in Boston, London and Paris. They are dirty and dangerous. If I can't afford a limo or at minimum a licensed Taxi, I just won't travel.
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