Lawsuit: Off-Duty West Chicago Cop Shot At Car In Road Rage Incident
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The family of a Cicero teenager is suing in federal court in Chicago, accusing a West Chicago police officer of shooting at their car and wounding him.
As WBBM Newsradio's David Roe reports, the lawsuit claims the unnamed West Chicago officer opened fire on a car filled with unarmed people in their teens and 20s on Feb. 18, and one of the rounds hit Juan Carlos Ruiz, 17, the Chicago Tribune reported.
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The suit claims Ruiz and his friends were home down Illinois Route 59 from a party, when their green Honda was sideswiped by a black Jeep the off-duty officer was driving, the Tribune reported.
The officer allegedly chased the young people to the grounds of Fermilab in Batavia, got out of his vehicle, and started shooting at their car, the Tribune reported.
Ruiz survived the shooting and is recovering at home, the newspaper reported.
Plaintiff attorney Richard Dvorak tells the Tribune that the young people did not pose a threat to the officer and were driving away when he chased them and opened fire. He tells the newspaper that he believes the officer was motivated by road rage, rather than enforcement of the law.
The City of West Chicago declined to comment to the Tribune on the lawsuit.
