Suit: Man assaulted by Chicago Police during 2012 NATO protests

A man filed a lawsuit Friday alleging assault and battery against a Chicago Police officer during the 2012 NATO protests downtown.

Elmer Frazier, a resident of Chicago, filed the lawsuit in Cook County Circuit Court, claiming he was peaceful when a violent skirmish between protesters and Chicago Police ensued during the NATO summit in Chicago on May 20, 2012.

Frazier was not a member of the “black bloc” — the anarchist group deemed largely responsible for inciting the clash with police — and was exercising his right to peacefully assemble near Cermak and Michigan, according to the lawsuit.

When officers on bicycles created a barricade, attempting to force demonstrators from the street to the sidewalk, an officer grabbed Frazier by the left arm and, without provocation, “violently shoved him to the pavement,” the suit claims.

Frazier alleges in the suit that he first struck his head on a metal barricade and then on the ground. He was eventually taken to Mercy Hospital and Medical Center for treatment.

The three-count lawsuit claims assault and battery, violation of the right to assembly and seeks to hold the city responsible. Frazier is seeking an undisclosed amount in damages.

The city has not yet been served with the suit, said city Department of Law spokesman John Holden, who declined to comment on it Friday evening.