|
|
 |
| (WBBM) |
Posted: Saturday, 07 November 2009 9:26PM
Bus driver charged for lying about police beating
|
CHICAGO (STNG) -- The bus driver who filed a lawsuit claiming he was beat by an off-duty Chicago police officer in September has been charged with disorderly conduct and obstruction of justice --both felonies.
Prosecutors with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office say witnesses abroad the bus during the incident confirm that Chicago Police Sgt. Thomas O’Grady had yelled and cursed at Ricardo Mendoza who was driving CTA bus No. 62 on Sep. 12, but that there was no physical contact.
Mendoza appeared in bond court on Saturday and his bond is set at $50,000.
Mendoza first reported O’Grady had poked him in the eye and punched him in the face, but prosecutors say Mendoza continually escalated the nature of his injuries, claiming he lost consciousness and was also punched in the head and shoulders during the alleged attack in subsequent interviews with investigators, a news release from the Cook County State’s Attorney said.
Mendoza had filed the eight-count federal suit against O’Grady, and the city of Chicago in late September with Cook County Circuit Court, for concealing the crime and not holding the sergeant accountable for his actions. The suit called for damages in excess of $1 million.
According to the suit, Mendoza was operating CTA bus No. 62 near State and Monroe streets on Sept. 12 when O’Grady got off his bicycle, boarded the bus, and struck Mendoza, who was strapped into his seat. O’Grady briefly exited the bus, before re-boarding and began to “savagely beat and punch Mendoza about his whole body,” the suit said. Two on-duty officers who were aboard the bus apprehended O’Grady. Mendoza claimed in the suit, that despite meeting with detectives, investigators of the Independent Police Review Authority, the Assistant State’s Attorney with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, O’Grady has not been held liable for his actions. The suit claimed the city has a “code of silence,” an implicitly understanding between members of the police for failing to report instances of misconduct of officers, and has concealed and suppressed the existence of misconduct.
Video footage previously released by the bus driver’s attorney showed the "actions of the parties involved were inconsistent with statements reported to the media last week by sources other than Chicago Police Department," according to a press release from Chicago Police News Affairs.
|
Sun-Times Media Wire Chicago Sun-Times 2009. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
|
|
|
|
E-Mail Story
Print Story
