Criminal Assault Charges Filed Against Chicago Cop for Striking Handcuffed, Unresisting Black Man

From [HERE] and  [HERE] A Chicago police sergeant is facing brutality charges stemming from an October incident caught on surveillance tape showing him repeatedly slapping a unresisting, handcuffed man across the face. [See Video]

At a hearing Friday, a bond $20,000 was set for Sgt. Edward Howard Jr., 48, on charges of felony aggravated battery and official misconduct.

According to prosecutors, on the evening of October 11, while leaving King Gyros on South Vincennes Avenue, a 19-year-old man and two friends were arrested by two Chicago police officers for criminal trespassing. The man immediately complied with the officers' orders to place his hands on the squad car. He was searched and handcuffed without incident.

Witnesses said Howard then arrived on scene and struck the man three times across the face with an open hand. The third hit was forceful enough to send the man backward and off balance. The blows resulted in cuts, bruises to the man's lips and swelling to his face, prosecutors said.

"It is a sad and difficult day for all of us in law enforcement when an incident such as this occurs and criminal charges are warranted," said Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez.

An attorney says the officer was justified because the suspect tried to spit on him. “If I tried to spit on you, wouldn’t you find that offensive?” asked Robert Kuzas, who is representing Sgt. Edward Howard Jr., 48, a 24-year veteran of the police department. Howard is charged with aggravated battery and official misconduct.

Jeffries suffered cuts, bruises and swelling to his face, prosecutors said. He and his mother reported the incident to the Independent Police Review Authority, and the case was referred to the state's attorney's office.

"Videotaped footage recovered from the restaurant's surveillance system corroborates both the victim and other eyewitness accounts of the defendant's abuse use of force against the handcuffed victim," the Cook County state's attorney's office said in a statement.

Shortly after the incident, Supt. Jody Weis stripped Howard and six officers of their police powers: Howard for the beating and the other officers are failing to report it.

Two of the officers were later cleared of wrongdoing after GPS proved they weren't at the scene. The two then filed a libel lawsuit against Weis, alleging they were falsely accused. Though Weis never identified Meuris and Vanna by name to the news media, he published their names in an internal communication sent to others in the Police Department, their attorney said.

Last month, Jeffries filed a federal lawsuit against the city and police officers. In it, he claimed he was hit several times by a sergeant, causing Jeffries to spit up blood.

During a bond hearing today, Assistant State’s Attorney Lauren Freeman said the video shows Jeffries was “fully compliant from the beginning to the end during his detention and arrest.”

“It show that he never acts in a physically provocative manner before the defendant strikes him each time,” Freeman said.

Howard posted a $2,000 cash bond and walked out of the Criminal Courts Building at about 1:30 p.m., flanked by several supporters.