Home invasionLater chargedStolen propertyExcessive forceFalse arrest or reportGunExtended detentionDrug chargesWeapons chargesOther charges filed
Plaintiff:
Eric Chagolla
Incident date:
08/12/2005
Location:
2032 N. Keeler Ave.
Allegations:
Chagolla was outside his apartment in the Hermosa neighborhood when officers from the department's Special Operations Section arrived. While holding Chagolla at gunpoint, the officers entered his apartment, ransacked it and stole money. The officers arrested Chagolla, placed him in a squad car and drove him to a parking lot, where they rolled up the car's windows, turned up the heat, exited the vehicle and left him inside for several minutes. The officers charged Chagolla with drinking from an open can of alcohol while seated in a vehicle, possession of a firearm and drug possession. Chagolla was incarcerated from August 2005 to March 2006 as his case awaited trial. The charges against Chagolla were dismissed, and in January 2007, A grand jury indicted Herrera, Finnigan and Hopkins, along with other members of the Special Operations Section, on multiple charges, including armed violence, residential burglary, theft, and official misconduct for the actions they took against Chagolla and others.