A lawsuit filed by the family of a 14-year-old boy from Riverdale who has autism alleges police shocked him multiple times in the back with a Taser, and that he was handcuffed to a hospital bed during treatment of his injuries.
The lawsuit alleges the youth wasn’t involved in any criminal activity and says police body camera recordings support that, and claims the teen suffered physical and emotional injury.
It’s alleged to have taken place Nov. 20 while the boy was in the backyard of his Riverdale home, and the lawsuit, filed Feb. 9 in Cook County Circuit Court, names Dolton and Riverdale as defendants along with officers from both departments.
The lawsuit alleges it was a Dolton officer who used a Taser multiple times on the boy’s back.
Attorneys for Dolton and Riverdale did not immediately respond Friday to requests for comment about the lawsuit.
The complaint alleges the officers used excessive force and that the youth has suffered from pain, fear, difficulty sleeping and mental suffering. The lawsuit seeks damages in excess of $50,000.
The conduct of the officers was “willful, wanton and reckless,” and they “made a warrantless unlawful entry onto his property” in the area of the 14400 block of Indiana Avenue, according to the complaint.
The entry of officers into the yard “was done in a menacing and threatening manner,” according to the lawsuit, which contends the youth was not armed and did not pose a threat to officers.
A recording from a camera worn by one officer indicated police knew he had not been involved in any criminal activity, according to the lawsuit.
The youth was handcuffed and taken into custody, then later treated at a hospital for injuries he’d received, according to the complaint. While in the hospital, the teen was restrained by handcuffs to his bed, the lawsuit asserts.
While in police custody, the youth was detained for an “extended time,” and that his parents were not allowed to see him, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit alleges that Dolton officers had not received adequate training in using Tasers, and asks a judge for a permanent injunction to prevent officers from using the devices until they receive proper training.
An attorney who had previously represented the family, Calvin Townsend, said last month that sometime after 10 a.m. on Nov. 20, the youth was headed to a store near his home when he was urged by neighbors to return to his home, as there was a heavy police presence in the area.
After realizing he had forgotten one of his favorite snacks at the store, the youth got permission from his mother to return to the store, according to the lawyer.
At about the same time Riverdale police had stopped three men who were spotted with masks, according to Townsend. Riverdale officers “attempted to engage the individuals; however, at some point a chase on foot ensued,” the attorney said last month.
At the time, he said, information such as recordings from officer’s body cameras had not been released to the family.
Riverdale police asked for help from other police departments, including Dolton, and as the youth was “running back toward his home” he was met by a Dolton officer, who used a Taser on him, Townsend said.
The youth typically clambered over a fence in his backyard to get to and from the store, a trip he had taken numerous times, Townsend said.
Townsend said the youth was hurrying to get back home and climbing over the fence when the encounter with police occurred.
He was taken to a nearby hospital after being placed under arrest, then later transferred from the hospital to the police lockup in Riverdale, Townsend said.
