Plaintiff:
Turrell Thompson
Incident date:
07/15/2013
Location:
2710 W Jackson Blvd.
Allegations:
Thompson was walking to his cousin's apartment after visiting some friends from church when the officers approached him. Thompson had previous interactions with Detective Pasko, who as recently as three or four days earlier had threatened him to "cooperate" and provide him with information about guns, or he would regret it. As Thompson walked across the street, Pasko grabbed him and shoved him onto the car. When Thompson asked what he had done wrong, Pasko called him a "nigger." Pasko searched him and took his cellphone, state ID, and $151 from his pockets. Detective Wisz asked him if the woman he had been talking to had given him drugs. Thompson explained that she did not deal drugs, but Wisz said he didn't believe him. The officers arrested Thompson; as they drove, they yelled at him and threatened him for not cooperating and for playing games with them. The officers stopped the car in an empty parking lot and pulled Thompson out to slam his face against the hood. While Thompson's face was pressed to the hood, the officers told him they wanted him to "produce some cases for them" and Wisz pointed his gun at him. As Thompson pleaded with the officers not to kill him, Pasko grabbed his neck and began to choke him. Once he let go of Thompson's neck, Pasko said they weren't going to kill him because he was worth more to society alive and in prison than dead. The officers took Thompson to the police station, where they charged him with possession of narcotics, and planted two plastic bags of drugs, one that contained cocaine and another that contained heroin. Thompson was detained for 30 days.