Black College Swimmer Handcuffed And Held At Gunpoint By Law Enforcement Who Had The Wrong Guy
A Black college student claims he was falsely arrested last year after he was thrown to the ground by police and held at gunpoint while on an Illinois highway.
Jaylan Butler, 20, was traveling back to his school with his teammates on a bus that pulled over near a rest stop. One of his coaches told him to go take a picture of a road sign near where they had stopped, according to the lawsuit.
After taking that photo is where police confronted Butler after responding to a call that was searching for “an armed suspect that reportedly shot at a vehicle on Interstate 80”.
A lawsuit was filed this past Sunday against the 6 police officers for the alleged false arrest, unlawful searches and seizure and excessive force, the ACLU said in a statement.
CNN Reports:
The lawsuit, filed January 21 in US District Court for the Central District of Illinois, says that Butler was stopped by police and placed in handcuffs on February 24, 2019, near a rest stop off I-80 in East Moline, Illinois.
A statement from Rock Island County Sheriff Gerald Bustos says his office was unaware of the incident prior to being served with the lawsuit on January 27, 2020.
In the statement, Bustos said that a preliminary fact-finding mission concluded that Deputies Pena and Asquini had arrived at the scene after Butler had been detained by officers from other agencies, and had only “brief interaction” with Butler.
Bustos says in the statement that he believes the allegations against deputies Pena and Asquini are “without merit.”
“Due to the pending lawsuit, I am not able to comment in detail, but I can confirm that Officer Staes did have a brief encounter with Mr. Butler and he handled that encounter properly, lawfully, and in accordance with the policies and procedures of the East Moline Police Department,” the statement read in part. “At this early stage of litigation, I encourage our residents not to jump to conclusions based on what has been portrayed in the media and language of the lawsuit. I am confident that the allegations against Officer Staes are without merit.”
The lawsuit alleges the officers and deputies exited their vehicles with firearms pointed at Butler while shouting “Get down!” and “Don’t f**cking move! Stay right there!” Butler complied with orders he was given and was placed in handcuffs while face down in the snow, according to the lawsuit.
One of the defendants in the case pressed a handgun against Butler’s head and told him “If you keep moving, I’m going to blow your f**cking head off,” the lawsuit alleges.
The bus driver asked the officers and deputies what they were doing with his passenger and Butler’s coach explained to them that he was a college athlete the lawsuit said.
Eventually Butler was released and able to show his ID to law enforcement who did not give him any information regarding why he was detained or anything to follow up with such as a badge number or name, the lawsuit said.
We will keep you all updated as this story continues to develop. Let us know in the comments how y’all feel about the situation!
And now you’re officially in the KNOW!
