3rd CPD officer involved in Brickyard Mall incident stripped of police powers as complaints about police conduct rise

ByChuck Goudie, Barb Markoff, Christine Tressel, Ross Weidner and Jonathan Fagg WLS logo
Tuesday, June 30, 2020
3rd CPD officer involved in Brickyard Mall incident stripped of police powers as complaints about police conduct rise
Two other officers were pulled from the street in early June following the Brickyard arrests, but COPA officials say the third officer tonight stripped of the badge and gun was jus

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The ABC7 I-Team has learned that another Chicago police officer has been removed from the street following the arrest incident at Brickyard Mall late last month captured on video that showed officers breaking car windows and throwing women to the ground. This is the third CPD officer to be taken off the street during the ongoing investigation.

RELATED: Chicago police officers under investigation in Brickyard Mall incident; women describe being pulled from car and thrown to ground

According to the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, officers are temporarily relieved of police power only "if there is evidence suggesting egregious behavior."

WATCH: Raw video of incident shot by bystander

Watch video of the incident captured by a bystander in the parking lot of the Brickyard Mall Sunday.

Two other officers were pulled from the street in early June following the Brickyard arrests, but COPA officials say the third officer tonight stripped of the badge and gun was just identified.

RELATED: 2 CPD officers relieved of powers after Brickyard Mall incident caught on video

Now, new data show complaints against CPD officers continue to rise after the George Floyd protests. More than 2900 misconduct complaints against Chicago police have been filed so far this year. That's up 17% compared to the same period in 2019. According to I-Team analysis of COPA data, there has been a 67% spike in misconduct complaints filed against officers so far in June compared to this month a year ago.

Some of the post-protest allegations are referred to CPD internal affairs and five cases have been handed to state and federal law enforcement agencies for possible criminal review, according to COPA records. Fifty-six percent of the protest-related complaints being handled by COPA tonight allege excessive force by officers.

Following George Floyd's killing in Minneapolis, the Brickyard Mall arrests in Chicago and several other high profile incidents involving officers here, Mayor Lori Lightfoot began pushing for the state licensing of police, a proposal vigorously opposed by the Fraternal Order of Police Chicago union local. Two weeks ago, City Hall announced a new task force that has begun looking into changing CPD's use of force regulations.