Suit: Cops Ran Over Man With Squad Car, Left Him There As He Had Seizure
(STMW) -- Chicago Police ran over an epileptic man with their squad car and left him underneath the vehicle as he had a seizure, calling for backup instead of helping him first, a newly filed federal lawsuit claims.
Charles Griffin filed the lawsuit Monday in U.S. District Court. In the filing, he alleges that about 5:45 p.m. on May 27, 2013, he was near the intersection of Roosevelt Road and Central Park Avenue when a squad car carrying several Chicago Police officers pulled up close and nearly hit him.
Griffin, then 23, moved back to avoid the car. Officers followed Griffin, eventually hitting him in the back with the squad car and running him over on a nearby parkway, the suit stated.
"After Defendant Officers ran over Plaintiff with their squad car, dragging Plaintiff approximately 10 feet, the Defendant Officers' vehicle stopped on top of Plaintiff, rendering him immobile," the suit stated.
Once under the car, Griffin began to have an epileptic seizure. His mother arrived at the scene soon after and told police about Griffin's epilepsy, but officers called for backup first and Griffin remained under the car for 10 minutes until an ambulance arrived, the suit said.
Griffin maintains that he was not breaking any laws when he was run over and that the use of force by officers was not justified.
The suit goes on to allege that the officers "attempted to conceal the nature and/or events surrounding [Griffin's] injury by falsely accusing [Griffin] of engaging in conduct which could justify excessive use of force."
Several unnamed officers and the City of Chicago were listed as defendants. A spokesman from the city's Law Department said that he could not comment because city officials had not yet seen the lawsuit.
The four-count suit alleges a violation of Griffin's civil rights and seeks an undisclosed amount in damages.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2015. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)