FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

News

Video Shows Chicago Cop Stomp Suspect's Head

The video, which led to the suspension of one officer, renewed outrage over police misconduct after a slew of previous officer-involved incidents in the city.
Image via Facebook

The Chicago Police Department has suspended an officer who was seen stomping on a suspect's head in a video posted to Facebook on Monday, an incident that has also triggered an investigation by the city and renewed outrage over police misconduct after a slew of previous officer-involved incidents.

The video clip, which lasts just under 90 seconds, starts with a white plainclothes police officer straddling a black man in the street. The man struggles to free himself from the cop's grasp, and appears to attempt to elbow the officer in the face. With a crowd of bystanders shouting expletives and asking about the use of force, the officer's plainclothes partner calls for backup and angrily confronts the onlookers.

Advertisement

At one point, the officer on top of the suspect can be seen reaching toward his belt, prompting one onlooker to shout, "He's going to shoot us!" When the man on the ground appears to grab for the officer's throat, the cop who is still standing up walks over and stomps the restrained man's head.

A police source told the Chicago Tribune that the two officers involved were taken to an area hospital and treated for bite wounds to the finger and arm, as well as choking injuries. There's no word on the condition of the suspect, who was arrested on unspecified charges.

In a statement to VICE News, a Chicago police spokesperson said that after "careful consideration and reviewing the video footage," Superintendent Eddie Johnson decided to "relieve" one of the officers "of his police powers" while the incident is investigated by the city's Independent Police Review Authority.

Several videos of Chicago cops beating or shooting suspects have emerged recently, including one in November that showed a white officer shooting 17-year-old black teenager Laquan McDonald 16 times. The Department of Justice has opened an investigation into the department's "use of force, including racial, ethnic and other disparities in use of force, and its systems of accountability."

Follow VICE News on Twitter: @vicenews