Chicago Police lieutenant found not guilty of charges of shoving flashlight between teen suspect's buttocks
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A judge found a Chicago Police lieutenant not guilty of charges of shoving a flashlight between a teenage boy's buttocks while making an arrest about two years ago.
At a bench trial, which does not involve a jury, Cook County Criminal Court Judge Joseph Claps found Lt. Wilfredo Roman not guilty of aggravated battery and official misconduct.
The Cook County State's Attorney's office had alleged that on Feb. 9, 2021, around 8:35 p.m., two teenage boys - ages 16 and 17 – approached a man sitting in a 2005 silver Mazda in the 1900 block of North La Crosse Avenue. The 17-year-old pointed a gun at the man and demanded the keys, prosecutors said.
The man handed over the keys, and the 16-year-old drove off in the car, prosecutors said.
Around 8:55 p.m. that night, Roman spotted the Mazda and called over police radio that the teens and had bailed from the car and run off, prosecutors said. Roman informed dispatch of the direction the teens had run, and started chasing them, prosecutors said.
More officers responded and saw the two teens running in an alley around 2022 N. LeClaire Ave., prosecutors said. When the officers approached the 16-year-old, he tried to climb a fence and threw a Hi-Point C9 handgun over the fence, prosecutors said.
An officer gave the 17-year-old a verbal command to surrender, and he did so – putting his hands in the air and getting on the ground, prosecutors said.
The officer then placed the teen in handcuffs, and the teen complained that the handcuffs were too tight, prosecutors said.
The officer adjusted the handcuffs, and the teen stopped yelling and began saying he had just been running, prosecutors said. While the officer was adjusting the handcuffs, Roman told the teen to, "Shut up!" prosecutors said.
Prosecutors claimed Roman then approached the teen from behind and shoved his flashlight between the teen's buttocks, and told the teen again to, "Shut up!" when the teen yelled out, prosecutors said.
Roman then withdrew the flashlight, walked a short distance away from the teen, and then told him, "That's what you get for carjacking," prosecutors alleged.
A defense attorney said when Roman was first charged that the flashlight in question was smaller than a pen, and the teen's pants were on. The defense attorney said Roman was merely trying to deescalate the situation.
Roman's attorney in 2021 presented over 200 awards and other commendations to the court that the officer has received over the years. He also claimed the teen wasn't injured by the flashlight.
As for Roman's background, data collected by the watchdog group Invisible Institute shows Roman has been the subject of at least 40 misconduct allegations — 10 of which were for excessive force — but he wasn't disciplined for any of the allegations except for a reprimand involving a prisoner escape.
Roman was also named in a federal lawsuit in which he and another officer were accused of using a stun gun on an 82-year-old woman.