Plaintiff:
Maria Contreras
Incident date:
10/14/2011
Location:
851 W. Waveland Ave.
Allegations:
Contreras, a licensed push-cart vendor who sells fruit and candy, was near Guadalupe Gonzalez Magnet School when Officer Dunn asked to see her vendor license, which she showed her. Dunn then told Contreras she needed to see her driver's license or state identification card or else she would arrest her. Contreras sent her husband home, and he returned with her ID. By that time, around 2:30 p.m., school was dismissed and children who were leaving gathered around Dunn and Contreras. Dunn roughly grabbed Contreras, who is 70 years old and approximately 5 feet tall, threw her against a police car, shoved her lefs apart and conducted an aggressive search. A schoolgirl was taking pictures of the incident, and Officer Dunn told her to mind her own business. When she continued to take pictures, Dunn grabbed the girl and smashed her face against the side of the police car. Dunn then drove the car with Contreras in it one block west to Whipple Street, stopped the car, and wrote Contreras a ticket concerning the operation of her push cart. Then she opened the back door, grabbed Contreras' apron and began choking her with it, yelling “You are going to die.” Dunn pulled Contreras from the squad car and threw into the street, threw the tickets, her state ID and her permit on her, then drove away. A bystander called 9-1-1, and an ambulance came and took Contreras to Holy Cross Hospital. Contreras filed a complaint against Dunn, but the City of Chicago did not take any action against the officer.