Current:Home > InvestPolice board votes to fire Chicago officer accused of dragging woman by the hair during 2020 unrest-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Police board votes to fire Chicago officer accused of dragging woman by the hair during 2020 unrest
View Date:2024-12-23 19:03:07
CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Police Board voted to fire an officer accused of dragging a Black woman out of a car by her hair during unrest at a mall in 2020.
The board voted unanimously Thursday to fire Officer David Laskus, finding he used excessive force and lied to investigators about the incident, the Chicago Tribune reported.
Mia Wright was a passenger in a car that arrived at the Brickyard Mall on May 31, 2020, during a weekend of protests and unrest following the death of George Floyd. Floyd was a Black man who died after a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck.
A federal lawsuit that Wright and four relatives filed states that they drove to the mall to go shopping and didn’t realize it was closed due to the unrest. The lawsuit alleged that officers surrounded their car, broke the windows with their batons and pulled Wright out by her hair. Wright said she was left blind in one eye by flying glass caused by officers breaking the windows. Wright was 25 years old at the time.
Officers said they thought some members of Wright’s group were trying to break into a store at the mall to steal goods, the city’s attorney has said. The City Council in March 2022 approved a $1.675 million settlement with Wright and the four others with her that day.
Laskus was not criminally charged, but the police board noted that Laskus denied he pulled Wright by her hair when he spoke to investigators despite video evidence to the contrary.
Laskus can appeal his firing in Cook County Circuit Court.
veryGood! (3)
Related
- College football top five gets overhaul as Georgia, Miami both tumble in US LBM Coaches Poll
- Ohio Chick-Fil-A owner accused of driving 400 miles to sexually abuse child he met online
- Man attacked by 9-foot alligator while fishing in Florida
- It's Purdue and the rest leading Big Ten men's tournament storylines, schedule and bracket
- 'This dude is cool': 'Cross' star Aldis Hodge brings realism to literary detective
- Model Kelvi McCray Dead at 18 After Being Shot by Ex While on FaceTime With Friends
- Agency Behind Kate Middleton and Prince William Car Photo Addresses Photoshop Claims
- Shakeup continues at Disney district a year after takeover by DeSantis appointees
- Moana 2 Star Dwayne Johnson Shares the Empowering Message Film Sends to Young Girls
- Tyson Foods closing Iowa pork plant as company moves forward with series of 2024 closures
Ranking
- Democratic state leaders prepare for a tougher time countering Trump in his second term
- Olivia Munn Shares Breast Cancer Diagnosis
- Man pleads guilty to shooting that badly wounded Omaha police officer
- Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry agrees to resign, bowing to international and internal pressure
- Mike Tomlin's widely questioned QB switch to Russell Wilson has quieted Steelers' critics
- Agency Behind Kate Middleton and Prince William Car Photo Addresses Photoshop Claims
- Can women and foreigners help drive a ramen renaissance to keep Japan's noodle shops on the boil?
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Break the Silence
Recommendation
-
Volkswagen, Mazda, Honda, BMW, Porsche among 304k vehicles recalled: Check car recalls here
-
ACC mascots get blessed at Washington National Cathedral in hilarious video
-
Seavey now has the most Iditarod wins, but Alaska’s historic race is marred by 3 sled dog deaths
-
Zoë Kravitz brings boyfriend Channing Tatum to Lenny Kravitz's Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony
-
Why Outer Banks Fans Think Costars Rudy Pankow and Madison Bailey Used Stunt Doubles Amid Rumored Rift
-
'9-1-1' Season 7: Premiere date, time, cast, channel, where to watch new episodes
-
Roman Polanski civil trial over alleged 1973 rape of girl is set for 2025
-
'Sister Wives' star Janelle Brown 'brought to tears' from donations after son Garrison's death