Plaintiff:
Courtney Thomas
Incident date:
01/01/2010
Location:
7500 S. Prairie Ave.
Allegations:
Nichols was driving on East 75th Street near South Prairie Avenue with Thomas when he noticed a police car behind them. It appeared to Nichols that the squad car was trying to pass him, but later he realized the officers wanted him to pull over, so he did. Officer Landrum stepped out of the squad car, opened the passenger door and removed Thomas from the car. Another officer removed Nichols from the car. Officer Landrum began to yell at Thomas, hitting him and putting him in a head lock. The officer continued to attack Thomas, letting him bleed while he was on the ground. Nichols was seized and placed into the back of the squad car, while Thomas was escorted to the metal gate against a nearby storefront and handcuffed to it. Shortly after, Landrum pulled his service weapon and shot Thomas in the stomach. He was hospitalized while he was under arrest and incarcerated following his surgeries. He was charged with multiple offenses. After the incident, Nichols was immediately taken into police custody and his car was impounded, along with his personal possessions inside of the car. Thomas was carrying $3,462 to purchase a new car. The money was seized and never returned. The officer created false reports and provided misleading accounts of coerced witness interviews to cover up the misconduct.