Paraplegic Man Claims Police Beat Him; Sues City

Yet another civil suit alleging police misconduct has emerged. On Tuesday, a paraplegic man filed a lawsuit against the city, claiming Chicago police officers beat him and knocked him out of his wheelchair, the Chicago Tribune reports.

According to the lawsuit, filed in Cook County Circuit Court, 32-year-old Reginald Edwards was eating and recharging his wheelchair at a Dunkin’ Donuts on Adams St. when an employee demanded he leave. After Edwards refused, police officers became involved.

Edwards claims that when the two police officers arrived, they pushed his wheelchair out of the shop. They then hit him in the face, the lawsuit states. The police loaded Edwards onto a city bus and took him to the Central District Police Headquarters.

At the headquarters, the officers reportedly told Edwards to "wipe the blood off his face and tell [their] supervisor nothing happened to him" or they would charge the man with a felony. After Edwards refused, the officers allegedly shook and struck him, knocking him out of his wheel chair and causing "a catheter to be torn from his genitals" and other injuries. Edwards is seeking damages for what he claims was wanton and willful conduct and false arrest.

Unlike negligence, an intentional tort is based on a willful action by one person that harms another. The intentional tort of civil battery involves an intentional touching or application of force to another person's body in a harmful or offensive manner without his or her consent. If the allegations against the police officers are true, they could be held liable for civil battery. However, the officers will likely argue qualified immunity, a defense that protects government officials from liability for the violation of a person's rights.

Reginald Edwards was later taken to Mercy Hospital for treatment of his injuries. He's been charged with battery and resisting arrest, according to his lawsuit.

Related Resources:


Find a Chicago Personal Injury Attorney (FindLaw)
Man Claims Police Beat Him, Knocked Him Out Of Wheelchair (CBS News)
Personal Injury Law: The Basics (FindLaw)
First Steps in Personal Injury Claim (FindLaw)


The Chicago Personal Injury Law Blog

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