Chicago Police Board votes to suspend officer for 2 years over 2018 shooting

The Chicago Police Board voted to suspend an officer for two years without pay during Thursday’s meeting, finding him guilty of improperly discharging a weapon toward a moving vehicle during a 2018 incident.

The Civilian Office of Police Accountability initially recommended Officer Luigi Sarli be discharged from the department, but Supt. David Brown disagreed, calling for a just 180-day suspension.

Police Board members overrode Brown’s decision during an October 2020 meeting, forcing a full review, with a decision released Thursday.

On Oct. 4, 2018, Sarli and three other officers spotted a stolen Jeep and attempted to curb the vehicle near the 3000 block of West Argyle Street, according to a COPA report.

Sarli was sitting in the back seat of the police SUV and cracked open his door when the vehicle drove past, as seen in body camera footage released by COPA.

Sarli then opened fire toward the moving vehicle, shattering the rear window of the police SUV.

COPA determined Sarli violated the department’s orders against firing into a moving vehicle. Brown challenged the decision during the October 2020 meeting, but the board found he did not meet the burden necessary to overrule COPA.

Following closed meeting reviews of the case, the board found Sarli guilty of improperly discharging his firearm and voted in favor of suspension without pay for two years.