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

Jesse Watters
Fox News

Jesse Watters Dragged After Adding Another Mind-Boggling Rule For 'Real Men'

Fox News host Jesse Watters, who is apparently an authority of what it means to be a manly man, gave jazz hands to make a point about how "real men" should or shouldn't wave.

The target of his ridicule was Tim Walz, the enthusiastic Democratic Minnesota governor and vice presidential candidate who often greets the public by raising both hands in the air to wave.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots of crowd at town hall and Rep. Mike Flood
@MorePerfectUS/X; KETV NewsWatch 7

GOP Rep. Goes Viral For His Response To Crowd Chanting 'Tax The Rich' At Town Hall

Nebraska Republican Representative Mike Flood was criticized following his incredulous response to a crowd that chanted "Tax the rich!" during a town hall meeting.

The Columbus High School auditorium hosted the town hall on Tuesday evening, drawing "nearly 380" attendees, according to local network KETV Omaha. The event was lively, with Flood facing both sharp criticism over Trump administration policies and some appreciation for showing up in person.

Keep ReadingShow less
Elon Musk
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Awkward Typo In Elon Musk's Bizarre 'Education Department' Trump Meme Is A Total Self-Own

Billionaire Elon Musk was widely mocked after he celebrated President Donald Trump's executive order to begin to dismantle the Department of Education (DOE) by posting a meme of Trump at the department's grave, only for an awkward misspelling to get all the attention.

Polling indicates that eliminating the Education Department is largely unpopular, with 60% of registered voters opposing the move, according to a Quinnipiac University survey conducted March 6-10. Support stands at 33%, with opposition particularly strong among Democrats—98% oppose it, while just 1% support it.

Keep ReadingShow less
JB Pritzker; Donald Trump
Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images; Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Dem Governor Reveals Trump's Bonkers Demand In Exchange For Equipment During COVID

Illinois Democratic Governor J.B. Pritzker revealed during a speech this week that he clashed with President Donald Trump during the first Trump administration after Trump promised necessary medical equipment during the COVID pandemic on the condition that Pritzker praise him publicly.

Five years ago, the United States was grappling with the initial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The country had entered shutdowns that had severe economic consequences, leaving businesses and industries on the brink of collapse.

Keep ReadingShow less
Scrabble tiles spelling the word scam
Scam spelled with scrabbles on a wooden table

People Break Down How They Realized An Entire Industry Was A Total Scam

We unfortunately live in a world where scams are on the rise.

Thankfully, some of them are pretty easy to detect, such as an automated call from the IRS telling you a warrant is out for your arrest, or an email claiming to be from Amazon or the USPS asking for your credit card information, only to look closer and see the email address is a yahoo account.

Keep ReadingShow less