Plaintiff:
Derrick Thrasher
Incident date:
11/26/2009
Location:
727 E. 111th St.
Allegations:
Thrasher, who had been pulled over for having tinted windows (which Illinois law restricts), was arrested because of an “investigative alert.” Thrasher was transferred to and from several police stations. At his final station, Officer Hareem began questioning Thrasher, then put him in a lineup and and asked him to give a signed statement about a crime. Thrasher repeatedly asked to talk to a lawyer or make a phone call, but Hareem refused. When Thrasher wouldn't sign a statement, Hareem took him from the interrogation room and dragged him down the hall toward a holding area. As he was being dragged, Thrasher told Hareem that he couldn't move quickly while handcuffed, and Hareem became angry, choked Thrasher and slammed his head into a wall so hard that he fell down. While in a holding cell, Thrasher repeatedly asked officers for medical attention, but his requests were ignored until the shift change the next day. Thrasher was taken to a hospital and given pain medication, but once back in police custody, the officers refused to give it to him. Thrasher had to go back to the hospital the next day.