( CNN ) -- Officers involved in a 2012 shooting in Cleveland are suing the city and police officials , alleging racial discrimination . They claim the defendants have a pattern of treating non-African American officers harsher than African American officers , when it comes to officer-involved shootings of African Americans . The plaintiffs in the federal suit are not African American . The incident cited in the suit began when officers saw a car speeding and heard what they thought was a gunshot directed towards them . It involved a nearly 25-minute chase and ended in a hail of 137 bullets , killing two people . Both were African American . No weapon was ever found in the car . In the wake of the shooting , the plaintiffs say they were placed on administrative leave for three days before reporting `` to the gym '' for a 45-day cooling off period . Months later , most of them were permitted to return to full duty , but they were then ordered back on restrictive duty , in a move the lawsuit claims was `` politically expedient . '' They remained on restrictive duty until June 2014 and so missed out on potential wages and chances to apply for promotions and transfers , according to the lawsuit . The nine plaintiffs allege their treatment was because of their race . `` The City of Cleveland , through the other named defendants , and the other named defendants in their individual capacities , have a history of treating non-African American officers involved in the shootings of African Americans substantially harsher than African American officers , '' reads the lawsuit , filed Friday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio . It continues : `` A serious dichotomy exists as a result of the defendants ' longstanding practices and procedures which place onerous burdens on non-African American officers , including the plaintiffs , because of their race and the race of persons who are the subjects of the legitimate use of deadly force . '' The plaintiffs are seeking an unspecified amount of damages . After-hours attempts Sunday to reach representatives of the city and police department were unsuccessful . The lawsuit comes on the heels of another high-profile police shooting in Cleveland . A 12-year-old boy died a week ago Sunday after being shot outside a recreation center . He had what police have said was an air gun that looked like a real firearm . Authorities are investigating that shooting , and the two officers involved are on leave from their jobs . In March 2013 , the U.S. Justice Department announced an investigation into the use of force by Cleveland police , citing several incidents . That investigation is also ongoing . CNN 's Sarah Jorgensen and Lateef Mungin contributed to this report .
The nine officers allege racial discrimination . A federal judge has ordered the city to pay them more than $700,000 in back wages and damages for their time on the job as a result of the lawsuit. The suit comes on the heels of another high-profile police shooting in Cleveland .