Man suing CPD over arrest, COPA investigating after video shows officer holding gun to his head
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A man filed a lawsuit against the city and the Chicago Police Department Thursday, after video showed police using force to detain him as he was arrested earlier this week.
The man—Lorenzo Williams, 32—was charged with felonies and misdemeanor after his arrest Tuesday in the Cabrini Rowhouses, in the 800 block of North Cambridge Avenue on the Near North Side.
Both the CPD and the Civilian Office of Police Accountability are both investigating the incident. Meanwhile, a use of force expert said it is very important to keep in mind that it is not clear what is happening in the video, which lasts only 30 seconds.
In the video, a man now identified as Williams is seen on the ground, surrounded by police officers. Three of the officer are trying to detain him—with one holding him by his hair, and another hitting him in the head with what appears to be a police radio and then saying, "I'm going to shoot you."
This officer then pulls out his weapon and holds it to Williams' head. The video then ends.
Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling was asked about the video Thursday.
"Yes, we're aware of the video. We're aware of the video. It's not a complete video. It doesn't show everything," Snelling said. "What I can tell you right now is that it ended in an arrest, gun recovery at the time. But what I will tell you is that the Chicago Police Department and myself, we take these things seriously. There's an internal investigation that has been launched the night that this occurred."
The lawsuit filed today by Williams and his attorney alleges illegal use of force—claiming Williams was "peacefully walking on public property" when he was approached by officers.
But the police report for the incident says otherwise. The report said officers were monitoring POD camera video in the area of Cambridge Avenue and Iowa Street—which is known for its gang and drug activity—and saw Williams with the butt end of a handgun in his front middle waistband as he lifted his shirt up.
Officers came up with a plan to make an investigative stop on Williams upon seeing him with the gun, the report said. He tried to run, but he was taken down by the officers. The report said.
The report said officers struggled with Williams as he tried to grab the gun from his waistband—leaving officers in fear that he would use it. The report also said Williams refused to give up the gun when officers ordered to do so.
According to the report, police recovered a .40-caliber Ruger handgun from Williams—who does not have a Firearm Owners Identification Card or a Concealed Carry License, and who is a convicted felon. The gun was found to be stolen from Mason City, Iowa, prosecutors said.
After being arrested, Williams was taken to an area hospital for minor injuries, the report said.
Williams faced a judge Wednesday, who ordered he be detained until his next court date. He is currently charged with four felonies and two misdemeanors in the case—including one felony count of unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, two felony counts of resisting or obstructing a police officer, and one felony count of aggravated assault of a police officer.
University of Pittsburgh School of Law professor and use of force expert David Harris noted that a great deal about what is happening in the video remains unknown.
"Having a recording does tell you a lot of things," Harris said. "There is no question that the officer pulled his gun and stuck it in the man's face. There is no question he hit the man with something. But so much more is still to be known."
It is clear, Harris said, that the officers' intention was to subdue Williams.
"They do not yet have him under control and that's obviously what they're trying to do—they're trying to control him and get his hands behind his back and put cuffs on him," he said. "One officer hits a man several times with an object that's hard to identify. Perhaps it's a police radio. Perhaps it's something else."
Harris also pointed out that an officer may only pull a gun on someone under a very specific set of circumstances.
"But to pull a firearm on somebody and put it in their face, there's only one set of conditions that allows for that and that is if there's a threat of deadly force coming from the person," he said. "If there is no threat is deadly force, something that could kill the officer or somebody else, pulling that firearm is a problem."
Harris said the video does not indicate one way or another whether Harris had a weapon or access to one, or if it was reasonable to think a weapon could be used on police officers or anyone else.
"If those things are the case then it may be justifiable to move to the level of deadly force, but we can't see any of that. We can't hear it. We don't know it," he said. "The question will be what happened, if anything, to justify that."
The police report, again, says Williams did have a gun and was reaching for it while the officers were subduing him.
Harris further emphasized that the video only captures 30 seconds—not long enough to draw firm conclusions.
"It's important to remember that just having video and seeing something that looks appalling to us—it does look appalling—doesn't necessarily mean we can come to a conclusion the wrong thing was done or the right thing was done," Harris said.
Williams is known to police and has a long felony record—including for resisting arrest.
The officer involved in the arrest is listed as Michael Donnelly, who is known to the CBS News Chicago investigative team. Donnelly was involved in the wrong raids on both the home of Anjanette Young and the home of Peter Mendez's family. Chicago Police have not commented on that fact.
The lawsuit he filed Thursday does not name the officers involved. His attorneys didn't respond to requests for comment.
Williams is due back in court next week.
