A Chicago police commander has come under intense scrutiny after a lawsuit was filed against him for allegedly putting his gun into a young man’s mouth, the Chicago Tribune reports.
According to the lawsuit, as reported by the Tribune, in January 2013 Cmdr. Glenn Evans pulled up at a bus stop and began staring at Rickey Williams. The now 24-year-old was unnerved by the officer as he stood waiting for the bus, so he took off running toward a nearby abandoned building, the lawsuit claims. Evans and other law-enforcement officers followed Williams into the building, where they found him smoking a cigarette.
The lawsuit, filed on Tuesday, accuses Evans of pushing and beating Williams before throwing him on the floor and putting his knee on the young man’s torso and on the back of his neck, the Tribune reports. The officer allegedly put a stun gun to Williams’ crotch, asking to know where he “put the guns.”
Then, according to the lawsuit viewed by the Tribune, the commander shoved his service gun into the young man’s mouth so far back that it touched his throat.
“I should kill you now,” Evans allegedly threatened.
Evans also reportedly threatened to lock up the young man for a “long time” on gun charges and told him that his bond would be set at “3 to 4 million” so that he would not be able to pay to get out of jail, the Tribune reports.
Williams did not have a gun on him but was still arrested and charged with reckless conduct, the Tribune noted, although the charges were dropped after arresting officers failed to show up at court.
Williams immediately filed a complaint after the incident to the Independent Police Review Authority. Evans’ gun was retrieved so that the Internal Affairs Division of the Chicago Police Department could check for Williams’ DNA.
More than a year passed before the DNA tests were carried out, but Williams’ DNA was still found on the commander’s gun, the Tribune reported.
According to the Tribune, after the matching DNA was confirmed, the review authority suggested that Evans be removed as commander and stripped of his powers until an investigation was completed. Instead, police Superintendent Garry McCarthy did not acknowledge the recommendation—until mere hours before criminal charges were filed against Evans on Aug. 27, the Tribune notes.
According to the Tribune, Evans is well-known throughout the community for his tough attitude toward crime. The Tribune notes that between 2001 and 2008, residents filed several lawsuits alleging abuse and civil rights violations by Evans, along with at least nine excessive-force complaints. None of the complaints resulted in any disciplinary action.