2 Investigators: Man Claims Cops Used Racial Slurs In Two Run-Ins With Him
(CBS) – It happened again: A suburban man says police officers twice targeted and harassed him, using racial slurs and even a bogus arrest.
CBS 2's Dave Savini investigates.
George Taylor previously told CBS 2 he was the victim of misconduct – an incident caught on dash-cam video.
Now, there's been another alleged run-in with officers – and another video.
"Same police department, same officers," Taylor says of the Montgomery police force.
The first was back in 2009, during a traffic stop with his then-girlfriend and children.
Taylor says officers called his group a racial epithet. Racially charged words were recorded, which led to a three-day suspension for one officer and an out-of-court financial settlement by the western suburban village.
"Don't worry … you'll make up for it next time," another officer was recorded saying.
Taylor says that promise was kept during the most recent run-in with the same officers, in 2014.
He says he walked outside to see what was happening with his girlfriend, her son and police when officers approached him and took him down to the ground. He says officers kicked him in the head and used racial slurs.
"I had a tooth knocked out," Taylor said. "I had a bruise on the right side of my head."
Michael Schmiege, Taylor's lawyer, filed a federal lawsuit against Montgomery Police.
"It's crystal-clear retaliation," Schmiege says. "I don't think these officers were counting on the fact that it was all going to be caught on tape the second time around."
The dash camera video from the most recent case didn't come from a Montgomery police car. It came from a Kendall County sheriff's squad car that recorded the takedown.
Montgomery Police Chief Daniel Meyers said he could not comment on a pending lawsuit.
A Kendall County judge acquitted Taylor of resisting arrest. Judge Phillip G. Montgomery, after repeatedly watching the video, disputed police claims Taylor was yelling and agitated and that he pulled away from police.
The judge noted only six seconds passed from when police approached Taylor and asked his name to when they had him on the ground.
Taylor has moved out of the village.