The Chicago Civilian Office of Police Accountability is investigating after a video of an off-duty Chicago Police Sergeant pinning a 14-year-old boy outside a Starbucks went viral.
The incident occurred in Park Ridge, Ill., on July 1. The video shows the man kneeling on the boys back, telling onlookers the boy stole his sons bicycle. The boys friends intervened to separate them.
The man identified himself to responding Park Ridge Police officers as an off-duty Chicago Police officer.
The boys parents say their son was moving the other boys bike because it was blocking the sidewalk, and that he had his own bike with him. They believe the officer singled out their son, who is a Straight-A student, a three-sport athlete and active in his church youth ministry, because he is Puerto Rican, while his friends are white.
We see the bias in an off-duty officer taking advantage of our brown boy, with afro hair, smaller in stature, choosing to take the law into his own hands with physical force a clear abuse of his position of authority the authority meant to PROTECT my son, not harm him, parents Angel and Nicole Nieves said in a statement.
This was clearly an unlawful restraint with the officer [using] his training to detain a young man without probable cause, said family attorney Antonio M. Romanucci, of Romanucci & Blandin. We are calling for full accountability and investigation into this incident and release of officer’s history with CPD.
The Park Ridge Police said in a statement Tuesday that they are continuing to seek videos and eyewitnesses in their investigation of the incident. The department said it intends to meet with the States Attorney this week to review the investigation.
