A disabled Chicago man is
suing the police department, claiming officers failed to provide a reason for
his arrest and then used excessive force to take him into custody, causing
injuries that required him to be hospitalized.
Reginald Edwards, who is
confined to an electronically-controlled wheelchair, says he was recharging the
device at a doughnut shop when a clerk demanded he leave and called police, WGN
reports.
When police arrived,
Edwards claims he was pushed out of the shop by two officers, who struck him in
the face and loaded onto a city bus to Central District Police Headquarters,
the Chicago Tribune reports. During booking, Edwards says officers threatened
him with a felony charge if he didn't "wipe the blood off his face"
and conceal his injuries from their supervisor.
When he refused to comply,
the lawsuit claims the officers shook Edwards so violently he was knocked from
his wheelchair, ripping out his catheter and causing other injuries that
required immediate medical attention, CBS Chicago reports. Edwards was taken to
Mercy Hospital for treatment.
The Chicago Police
Department says they have not yet seen the lawsuit and declined to comment.
Edwards stands charged of battery and resisting arrest.