Plaintiff:
Carolyn Bridget
Incident date:
10/25/2013
Location:
7331 S. Dorchester Ave.
Allegations:
Carolyn Bridget, Mia Swanigan, and Durrell Harris were at their home when Sergeant Paz and Officers Enahora, Russell and Wheeler entered. The officers were looking for Bridget's adult son, Mark Swanigan. After the officers searched the house, unable to find him, they told the family to leave the house and go to a shelter. Paz ordered Bridget to unlock the first-floor unit, which belonged to her brother Glen Bridget. Glen was at work, but Carolyn had keys to his unit and opened it after Paz threatened to shoot Glen's dog if she didn't comply. Paz, at gunpoint, ordered Bridget to unlock the backyard gate, where the rest of Glen's dogs were, and threatened to shoot those dogs. Bridget refused to leave her home, but Enahora told her that if she didn't pick up her kids from school, the police would take them to the Department of Children and Family Services. Bridget left to pick up her two younger sons. Meanwhile, the officers called DCFS, boarded up the house, and escorted Swanigan and Harris outside. Paz called Animal Control to take Glen's dogs, who were euthanized at the dog pound. Glen's cars and Bridget's truck were impounded, and Glen had to pay to retrieve his property. In addition to suffering substantial monetary loss, Bridget and her children had to move out of state, and Glen had to sleep in his car in order to keep his job.