Prosecutors say a Chicago police official who allegedly shoved his gun down a suspect’s throat already had dozens of citizen complaints against him on file.
Tuesday, the trial for Glenn Evans — a top Chicago officer charged with aggravated battery and official misconduct in the alleged 2013 abuse — began with arguments that he hid behind his badge.
The man once praised for working in some of the city’s toughest neighborhoods is now said to have also threatened to kill suspect Rickey Williams.
According to the Chicago Tribune, Evans’ file includes dozens of citizen complaints logged between 2006 and 2014. Despite 36 grievances, he was promoted from sergeant to lieutenant to commander; making him the most-complained about officer of his rank.
He was never disciplined for a single one of those allegations but was ultimately charged after Williams’ DNA was found on the barrel of his gun.
The trial comes just a day after the U.S. Department of Justice — inspired by the police shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald — announced it was to begin a civil rights investigation into Chicago’s police department, including its use of force.
