CPD Officers Under Investigation After Violent Arrest Caught On Video
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The Civilian Office of Police Accountability is investigating after Chicago police were caught on video violently pulling two women out of a car.
The incident is one of 258 complaints since Friday.
The family involved in the incident at Brickyard Mall says they were trying to leave the parking lot before officers stopped them, thinking they were looting.
"They dragged me out of the car by my hair and slammed me to the ground," said funeral director Mia Wright.
She was one of the people in the car who can be seen in the video taken Sunday afternoon.
"I was terrified," said Tnika Tate. "I feared for my life."
Video does not show what leads to this moment, but it does show police using batons to beat through the windows before pulling Wright to the ground.
"Glass in my eyes, scrapes, bruises," Wright said.
But she said the part that hurts the most is the way she was treated.
"They called her a f***ing savage," said Tate. "That is not acceptable."
"Especially the one who put his knee in my neck," said Wright. "I could've died. He didn't know what was wrong with me. He didn't know if I was pregnant or anything. I was just tossed out the vehicle like an animal."
The women want criminal charges against the officers. They say given the current climate, the knee on the neck was particularly traumatizing, amid international protests against the death of George Floyd, who died in the same position, with a knee on his neck.
They mayor said she cannot comment on the status of the officers because even tracking them down takes time.
"It is not easy to identify officers in grainy video where people are moving quickly," Mayor Lori Lightfoot said.
But both Lightfoot and Chicago's top cop say two things can be true at once.
"I reject the worldview that you can't support cops and hold them accountable," said CPD Supt. David Brown.
"We need to make sure that our men and women of the police department who have been working around the clock, we need to make sure we appreciate the vast majority of those who have been doing their job the right way, but I want to be very clear. We will hold people accountable who cross the line," said Lightfoot.
The Chicago Police Department said they believe that those in the car had intentions of "using force or violence to disturb the peace" and charged Wright with disorderly conduct.
The Cook County State's Attorneys office announced Thursday it is investigating the police officers' and is in touch with the family.