Man kicked in head by police officer faces charges
A man seen in a Facebook video choking a Chicago police officer and then apparently being kicked or stomped in the head by a second officer was charged Thursday with aggravated battery to a police officer and aggravated battery by strangulation, as well as possession of a controlled substance, officials said.
The charges came one day after the 23-year-old man, identified by his lawyer as Shaquille O'Neal, was released from police custody without charges. Police said Wednesday at the time O'Neal was released that the case remained under investigation.
The officer seen kicking O'Neal in the video has been relieved of his police powers while authorities investigate the video, which was posted Monday on Facebook.
In addition to charges related to his arrest and the altercation Monday, O'Neal was charged with aggravated battery and resisting arrest for his actions when police took him into custody Thursday, said Lisa Gordon, a spokeswoman for the Cook County state's attorney's office.
O'Neal's attorneys could not be immediately reached for comment.
O'Neal is on parole for a felony drug conviction, according to Illinois Department of Corrections records. He is due in bond court Friday.
Thursday night's Chicago Police Board meeting was a contentious one as the audience expressed its outrage at the video of O'Neal being stomped.
During Thursday night's meeting, which was attended by about 100 people, some people in the crowd swore and badgered at officers, most of whom were standing calmly as they protected police board members and Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson.
But the meeting intensified when a few attendees got into shoving matches with officers.
Activist Jedidiah Brown was detained after he clashed with several officers. The officers had to restrain Brown, bringing him to the ground before escorting him out of the meeting room.
The pushing and shoving between the attendees and police continued until attendees were quickly escorted out of the building's South Michigan Avenue exit.
About a dozen officers then stood in a line next to one another to prevent people from returning to the building.
"Kick me in the head!" one attendee shouted to the officers.
Anthony Guglielmi, a police spokesman, said other attendees tried to block Johnson's vehicle from leaving the building after the meeting. But they eventually dispersed, Guglielmi said.