South Side man claims police slapped, pulled gun on him during false arrest

A man acquitted of assault charges last year filed a federal lawsuit Thursday, claiming two Chicago Police officers slapped him and pulled a gun on him during the incident that led to his arrest.

Joshua Yates-Evans, 26, claims he was falsely arrested Aug. 8, 2013, at his home in the South Side Chatham neighborhood. He named the city and the officers as defendants.

Yates-Evans claims he was standing in his gated yard about 11 p.m. as the officers conducted a traffic stop in the 7900 block of South Champlain. At some point, the officers approached his home and asked for his ID, which he showed to them, the suit said.

During the questioning, at least one of the officers was shining a flashlight in Yates-Evans’ eyes, even though he asked him to stop, Yates-Evans claims.

Yates-Evans then asked for the officers’ badge numbers. That’s when the officers entered his yard’s gates, pulled a gun on him and told him to run, the suit claims.

Yates-Evans said the officers followed him as he ran into his home. His mother, who was woken up by the noise, went out to the back porch. When Yates-Evans went to check on her, the officers grabbed him, “slapped his head and threatened to tase him,” the suit claims. He fell to the ground from the slap and was carried back to the yard by the officers, where he was handcuffed.

Yates-Evans claims he never resisted, threatened or hurt the officers. He was later charged with two counts each of assault and resisting a peace officer, court records show.

But Yates-Evans was found not guilty of the charges at a bench trial on May 19, 2014, according to court records and the lawsuit. The lawsuit claims the officers made up false and incomplete police reports and lied during their testimony.

A spokesman for the city’s Department of Law said he could not comment on the suit because it had not been reviewed as of Thursday evening.

The seven-count suit claims false arrest, excessive force and malicious prosecution among its allegations. Yates-Evans is asking for an unspecified amount in damages.