Kopchak: Guilty of hate crime

Read a previous statement from OIA here.

A Cleveland detective, Donald Kopchak, was just found guiltyon two counts of felony abduction, one count of ethnic intimidation, and one misdemeanor assault charge for the 2024 Hinckley hate crime he instigated. He will be sentenced in June.

“Cleveland Police Chief Dorothy Todd must do the right thing and fire Donald Kopchak now,” said Lynn Tramonte, Executive Director of the Ohio Immigrant Alliance. “A person who exhibited such violence and hatred doesn’t have the character or judgement to serve in any law enforcement role. Our streets will be safer when he and his co-conspirator, Daniel Lajack, no longer have the authority of a gun and a badge.”

Lajack, who currently works for the Portage County Sheriff’s Office, took a plea deal and will be sentenced this week. Their victim is a truck driver who stopped at the Buzzard’s Roost in Hinckley. He was born in East Africa and, according to Kopchak and Lajack, that made him a “terrorist.” WKYC reported: “Witnesses say the trucker was at the bar minding his own business when Lajack and Kopchak detained him ‘Rambo-style.’”

The victim, whom we are not naming because we know he wants as much privacy as possible, testified in the case. "I don't sleep enough. It affected me emotionally, mentally, everything. I don't feel comfortable," he said.

Lajack’s current boss is Portage County Sheriff Bruce D. Zuchowski. Portage County has two 287(g) agreements to assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) with the enforcement of civil immigration laws. “Daniel Lajack has no business working in any law enforcement capacity, and especially one that involves immigrants,” said Tramonte. “We expect Sheriff Zuchowski to show that he understands hatred and violence based on race and national origin is immoral and illegal. Cops who beat people up in bars don’t belong on the force, full stop. No one is above the law, and that includes law enforcement.”