Man with video of cop kicking suspect plans to give it to feds

The man who recorded video of a Chicago cop kicking a suspect in the head said he will turn over his iPhone to the Justice Department — and not the Chicago Police Department or the city’s Independent Police Review Authority — because he doesn’t trust the city.

On Tuesday, police Supt. Eddie Johnson placed the plainclothes officer on desk duty after viewing the video, which showed him kicking a man who was being restrained on the ground by another officer Monday on the West Side.

The video of the incident was posted on Facebook and viewed by hundreds of thousands of people.

“After careful consideration and reviewing the video footage, Superintendent Johnson has decided to relieve one of the officers involved in the incident that occurred on the 3900 block of West Grenshaw of his police powers while IPRA investigates the case,” Chicago Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said.

“Since his appointment, the Superintendent has stated that accountability begins with him down to the last police officer and that he will tirelessly work to rebuild public trust in the Chicago Police Department,” Guglielmi said.

Terrance Hobson, 23, said he took the video of the arrest, which happened about 3:15 p.m. Monday.

Hobson said he sought advice from former CeaseFire director Tio Hardiman and decided he would turn over his phone to the Justice Department, which is conducting an investigation of the police department’s practices.

The federal probe was launched after the city released a video in November showing 17-year-old Laquan McDonald being fatally shot 16 times by Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke, who was charged with murder.

Hobson said he decided to record Monday’s arrest after he saw the 33-year-old drug suspect run through a gangway followed by officers.

One officer struggled with the suspect on the ground and punched the suspect at least four times in the face, Hobson said, adding that he didn’t capture that on his iPhone.

About 30 seconds into the struggle, Hobson started the video that showed the second officer kicking the suspect in the head, he said.

Hobson said he took a second video of officers pushing residents back, but he didn’t post that recording to Facebook. He said the officers “pulled Tasers on the crowd.”

The suspect was arrested after the officers recovered three Ziploc bags of heroin from him following a foot chase, Guglielmi said.

The man was released from custody without being charged “pending further investigation,” police News Affairs Officer Michelle Tannehill said Wednesday evening.

Guglielmi said the Ogden District officers were conducting a narcotics investigation and spotted the man in a drug deal. They chased the man, who ran north across Roosevelt Road before they caught him. The man resisted arrest and called out for “individuals to help,” a police report said.

At one point, the man was struggling on the ground with an officer. The suspect’s arms were underneath his body to prevent the officer from handcuffing him, the police report said. The man bit the officer on the right ring finger before he was handcuffed, the report said.

Guglielmi said the bitten officer was taken to a hospital for treatment to his hand. The arrested man was also taken to a hospital.

Guglielmi said police have obtained a different video of Monday’s arrest — taken from another angle.

“We encourage people to give any and all videos to IPRA,” said Guglielmi, who wouldn’t comment on Hobson’s allegation that the suspect was also punched in the face. “We want any and all evidence to determine what occurred here.”