Published 18:51 IST, December 1st 2019
Chicago police officer suspended for slamming man into pavement
Chicago police officer is suspended after body-slamming a man on the pavement. He has been put on desk duty pending an investigation by an oversight body.
- World News
- 2 min read
A Chicago officer has been put on desk duty after a video of him slamming a man forcefully on to the sidewalk during an arrest has surfaced. The incident that took place on Thursday is being described as 'Highly Disturbing'. The incident that took place on Thursday during the American holiday of Thanksgiving shows police approaching a 29-year-old man who is drinking alcohol at a bus stop in the afternoon.
The cop has been relegated to desk duty
According to police, the man became agitated during the interaction at Chicago's South Side. Police said that the man threatened the officer and even spat on his face, these actions led to the officer body-slamming him to the pavement that was filmed by a passerby. After the perpetrator spat on the mouth and eyes of the officer, the officer is seen performing what is known as an emergency takedown on the man.
The video shows that after being slammed onto the pavement the man did not appear to move for the duration of the video. Mayor Lori Lightfoot said that the video did not show the entirety of the interaction between the individual and the officer. But she also added that the video was quite disturbing.
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability, which is a city oversight body, was tasked with investigating the encounter and in the meanwhile, the oversight body has asked the officer to be stripped of his police powers. According to Anthony Guglielmi, the police department has agreed to the demands of the oversight body and has taken the gun and badge from the officer.
In a statement, Guglielmi said that if wrongdoing is discovered in regards to the officer then the officer will be held accountable. The man in the video was treated at a hospital. According to local media outlets the man has been charged with aggravated assault on an officer.
Updated 19:19 IST, December 1st 2019