Plaintiff:
Vadim Arutinov
Incident date:
09/08/2013
Location:
4800 W. Madison
Allegations:
Arutinov and a friend, who is African-American, were stopped at a red light in Arutinov's car when Officers Strazzante and Vivanco approached them in a police vehicle. The officers moved behind Arutinov when the light turned green and activated their lights. Arutinov pulled over. The officers exited their car and told Arutinov to unlock the doors, ordering him and the passenger to get out of the car. One of the officers said, "What's a white boy and a nigger doing around here together, you got something for us?" Arutinov said he did not know anything. The officers, who did not have a warrant, searched Arutinov, the passenger and the car. Vivanco found Arutinov's backpack, which contained his laptop and prescription medication. The officers arrested Arutinov for possession of a controlled substance and told the passenger to leave. Vivanco drove Arutinov in the police vehicle while Strazzante followed behind in Arutinov's car. When Arutinov protested his arrest, Vivanco stopped the car and told Strazzante. Strazzante opened the door on Arutinov's side and punched him in the face. The officers took Arutinov into custody and denied his request for pain medication. Arutinov was released into the Corrections Electronic Monitoring Program the next day, and his bail was set at $25,000. The charges were dropped, but because of the home confinement, Arutinov lost his job as a truck driver. The officers never returned the laptop, electronics, and clothing they took from Arutinov's car.