CTA supervisor says she was arrested by Chicago police after trying to file complaint against officer

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A CTA supervisor claims she was arrested after she said she was going to file a complaint against an officer.

The incident in February ended with CTA supervisor Martesa Lee in tears - and in handcuffs. Lee said police detained her for several minutes to prevent her from lodging a complaint against an officer.

"I felt uneasy, confused, hurt, humiliated," Lee said.

Lee is now suing the city over the incident at the Jackson CTA stop. As police responded to a stabbing on the platform, Lee was also there, coordinating the movement of trains.

Officer: Watch, out, whoa, ma'am, ma'am, ma'am. Come out here.

Lee: I'm talking. I've got to take this.

Officer: You've got to get out of the crime scene, ma'am! Please get out of the crime scene!

Lee: Hey, you're touching me now!

Officer: Because you're in a crime scene!

Lee: Do not touch me!

Minutes later, Lee approached a police supervisor to lodge a complaint about the officer.

Sergeant: If he tells me that you were obstructing the crime scene, we're going to arrest you.

Lee: You're not going to arrest me for doing my job.

Sergeant: Yes, we are.

Lee: This is my job.

Sergeant: We're not, that's the way it's going to go if you want to complain.

The sergeant called the officer over.

Sergeant: You're not done with it?

Lee: No, I'm not because I...

Sergeant You want to have her arrested for obstructing our crime scene?

Lee: (laughs)

Sergeant: She can laugh all she wants, but she cannot obstruct our crime scene.

Officer: I agree.

The sergeant then instructs the officer to arrest Lee.

"What I experienced that this is a practice that they do, and it works for them. Oh, if you want to make a complaint, we're going to arrest you," Lee said.

The incident is now being investigated by COPA, the Civilian Office of Police Accountability.

Chicago police said in a statement: The Chicago Police Department (CPD) strives to treat all individuals our officers encounter with respect and any misconduct by officers will not be tolerated. A complaint has been received regarding this incident and an investigation by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA) is currently ongoing. Due to the open investigation, we are unable to comment further on this incident but we will ensure that if any wrongdoing is discovered by COPA, officers will be held accountable. As a reminder, anyone who feels they have been mistreated by a CPD officer is encouraged to call 311 and file a complaint with COPA, who will investigate allegations of misconduct.

Lee was released at the scene and never charged.