Man shot by DEA agent in 2014 files lawsuit

A man accused of running over a Drug Enforcement Administration official in a 2014 narcotics investigation on the Southwest Side has filed a federal lawsuit against the agent who shot him.

Myron Russell, 32, remains held without bond at the Cook County Jail on charges of attempted murder, aggravated assault and battery for the Dec. 7, 2014 incident near 82nd Street and Kedzie, court records show.

About 1 p.m. that day, DEA agents tried to pull over a vehicle they thought was carrying cocaine, authorities said at the time. The driver pulled into a gas station and then sped away, hitting an agent and two other vehicles, authorities said.

The DEA acknowledged shots were fired and that Russell was taken to a hospital. The lawsuit filed Tuesday claims the agent used excessive force, calling the shooting “objectively unreasonable.”

A DEA spokesman said Thursday afternoon the agency cannot comment on pending litigation.

The agent who was hit by a car was taken to Christ Medical Center with a head injury and a broken leg, the DEA said. The car was later found abandoned with drugs inside, authorities allege.

At the time, Russell was free on bond for a drug case in Chicago Ridge, court records show. He later pleaded guilty to one count of manufacturing or delivering cocaine and was sentenced to six years in prison.

Russell, of the 6500 block of South Fairfield, has pleaded not guilty in the DEA case. His next court date is Dec. 6. He is seeking an unspecified amount in damages in the one-count suit.