Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Illinois Cops Hit With Lawsuit For Holding Gun To Black College Swimmer's Head After Mistaking Him For Wanted Suspect

A lawsuit has been filed against several Illinois police officers for holding a young, Black athlete at gunpoint after mistaking him for a criminal.


19-year-old Jaylan Butler, a swimmer for Eastern Illinois University, was on his way back to campus on his team's bus after a competition in South Dakota.


When the bus pulled over at a rest stop, Butler posed for a picture in front of a "Buckle up, it's the law!" sign to post on the team's social media.

Jaylan Butler/ACLU Of Illinois

While standing by the sign, Butler was swarmed by police cars with spotlights aimed at him.

Officers leapt from the vehicles and aimed their guns at him.

In his lawsuit, Butler described his response:

"Butler has always known that he could be targeted by police officers because he is Black. Mr. Butler's father taught him at a young age how to maximize his chances of surviving an encounter with law enforcement—stop instantly, put your hands up, drop anything you are holding and drop to your knees."

Butler said the officers shouted at him:

"Get down! Don't f*cking move!"

The police then held Butler face down in the snow, pressing down on his neck and back, while he was handcuffed with his hands behind his back.

Butler made no move to resist, but one officer held a loaded gun to his head, saying:

"If you keep moving, I'm going to blow your f*cking head off."

Butler's coach and White teammates attempted to explain to the police that Butler had been on the bus with them all evening and so could not be the suspect who allegedly shot at a vehicle on the highway nearby.

The officers seemed to figure out fairly quickly Butler was not their man, with one officer allegedly even calling in the encounter as a "false alarm" to dispatch.

They did not release Butler at that point, however.

The police proceeded to frisk Butler—who was still handcuffed—and searched his pockets. They then placed him in the back of a squad car for several minutes before removing him after demanding his identification before sending him back to his all White teammates and coaches.

No other members of the team were handcuffed, searched, questioned or forced to produce ID.

The officers did not properly document the incident.

They also refused to provide their reason for cuffing or detaining Butler or and would not give their badge numbers to Butler when asked for them.

The American Civil Liberties Union has now become involved with Butler's lawsuit.

Ed Yohnka, the ACLU's Illinois spokesperson, commented:

"We have a law in Illinois that requires police to record these interactions, to make a record of them when they stop a car, when they stop a person, etc."
"That was just ignored in this instance. We put these accountability measures in place as a state, as a community. I think it's really critical that we also insist that police follow them."

The lawsuit for excessive detention and excessive force as well as other things was filed against six officers:

"East Moline Police Officer Travis Staes, Hampton Police Officer Ethan Bush, Rock Island County Sheriff's Deputies Jack Asquini and Pena (no first name provided for the second deputy) and two unknown law enforcement officers identified only as John Does."

East Moline Police Chief Jeff Ramsey defended his officers in a statement.

"The lawsuit filed by Mr. Butler portrays a version of events that is inconsistent with the version of events we have uncovered in our initial review. I am confident the allegations against Officer Staes are without merit."

Following the incident, Butler's mental health has suffered. He's had trouble focusing on his coursework as a biological studies major at EIU and has begun seeing a therapist to address his mental state.

Yohnka pointed out:

"Even when he followed all of the instructions, this was the way he was treated. This didn't end in tragedy but somebody got harmed significantly. ... There has to be accountability."

More from Trending

Screenshots of Justin Bieber being hounded by paparazzi
X17OnlineVideo

Fans Defend Justin Bieber After He Confronts Paparazzi For Constantly Hounding Him

Fans defended Justin Bieber after he berated the relentless paparazzi and accused them of only being concerned with turning a profit over valuing people's lives.

According to X17, the "Intentions" singer's retreat to Palm Springs, days before the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, was anything but relaxing as he clashed with the paparazzi for a third day in a row.

Keep ReadingShow less
RFK Jr.
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

RFK Jr. Slammed After Claiming HHS Will Discover The Cause Of 'Autism Epidemic' By September

U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. declared that scientists would determine the cause of the "autism epidemic" by September, even though scientists haven't discovered a breakthrough despite decades of research.

In a cabinet meeting with Republican President Donald Trump on Thursday, RFK Jr. stated:

Keep ReadingShow less
J.D. Vance and Usha Vance listen to Susan Meyers during his Greenland visit
Jim Watson/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

Space Force Commander Fired Over Email Criticizing Vance's Greenland Comments

Vice President J.D. Vance and the wider Trump administration are facing criticism now that Colonel Susan Meyers was removed from her post as commander at Greenland's Pituffik Space Base after breaking with Vance in an email she wrote following his controversial visit to the island territory.

Greenland is an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, alongside the Faroe Islands, the only other autonomous territory within the Kingdom. Citizens of both Greenland and the Faroe Islands are full citizens of Denmark. As one of the Overseas Countries and Territories of the European Union, Greenland’s citizens are also recognized as EU citizens.

Keep ReadingShow less
Karoline Leavitt and Scott Bessent
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Karoline Leavitt Dragged After Making Mind-Numbing Claim About Trump's Tariffs Reversal

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt is getting called out after she attempted to justify President Donald Trump's sudden reversal on his proposed tariffs, telling reporters that his actions make sense because he has a master plan to make the world bend the knee.

Trump declared a full 90-day suspension of all the “reciprocal” tariffs that took effect at midnight April 10—except for those on China—in a dramatic about-face from a president who had long championed his historically high tariff rates as permanent.

Keep ReadingShow less
religion signs
Noah Holm on Unsplash

People Explain What Stopped Them From Going To Church Anymore

There's been a perception of a bit of an exodus from religion for the last several decades. But humanity has gone from no organized religions to oppressive religious regimes to rebellion and back again over the last several millennia.

But is the 21st century when religion finally fails to bounce back?

Keep ReadingShow less