Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Black Man Files Lawsuit After Being Violently Arrested For Having A 'Shocked Look On His Face'

Black Man Files Lawsuit After Being Violently Arrested For Having A 'Shocked Look On His Face'
ABC 7 Chicago

Leroy Kennedy IV, a Black man whose violent arrest last August went viral, filed a lawsuit against the city of Chicago following the incident.

Kennedy, who was in Humboldt Park on the West Side of Chicago, Illinois was approached and assaulted by two officers as he walked to a local store in late summer of last year.


WARNING: video contains violence

www.youtube.com

Kennedy was approached from behind and slammed against a brick wall and then thrown to the ground while officers repeatedly smashed his head against the sidewalk.

The entire incident was captured on video via an officer's body camera.





Kennedy spent four days in jail following this arrest and a charge for aggravated battery against an officer and resisting arrest.

The charges were dropped as a police report filed by the officers stated they arrested Kennedy for "having a shocked look on his face" when he saw the police.

"The police can't even pretend he did anything. You have a police report with no description of a crime and no reason to approach him other than his bulging eyes," said Kennedy's lawyer, Christopher Smith, to ABC7 News.





Kennedy said the event left him "traumatized."

"I told him like, 'Sir, I'm not resisting. I just want to get my glasses...He slammed me again thinking I'm resisting."

After the assault, Kennedy needed to be taken to a local hospital for treatment. Camera footage from the car shows him bloodied and bruised as a result of the encounter.





Kennedy's lawsuit seeks "compensatory damages, and because defendants acted maliciously, wantonly, or oppressively; punitive damages against the individual (officers) in their individual capacities."

The Chicago Police Department has refused to comment on the incident or the lawsuit.

More from Trending

Screenshot of Gavin Newsom; Donald Trump
CNN; Scott Olson/Getty Images

Gavin Newsom Shames Trump For 'Politicizing' Los Angeles Fires In Powerful Clip

After President-elect Donald Trump spread lies about the ongoing Los Angeles wildfires, blaming California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom for the destruction, Newsom addressed the matter on CNN, telling Anderson Cooper that Trump "wanted to politicize" the disaster even as people flee and lose their lives.

Deadly wildfires in Los Angeles County remain largely uncontained, with officials reporting at least five confirmed fatalities so far. However, on Thursday, authorities admitted, “frankly, we don’t know” the true extent of the death toll. Evacuation orders are currently affecting nearly 180,000 residents, as thousands of homes and buildings have been destroyed.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots of Dallas Cowboys cheerleader Michelle Siemienowski after getting hit in the head by a football
@NFLonFOX/X

Dallas Cowboys Kicker Pens Sweet Apology Note After Football Nailed Cheerleader In The Head

Dallas Cowboys cheerleader Michelle Siemienowski was knocked down after getting walloped in the head when kicker Brandon Aubrey kicked the ball out of bounds toward where she cheered on the sidelines.

The incident happened at Sunday's game against the Washington Commanders after a second-quarter kickoff.

Keep ReadingShow less
Mike Johnson
Win McNamee/Getty Images

Mike Johnson Slammed After Boasting About Fast Election Certification Without A Hint Of Irony

House Speaker Mike Johnson was slammed after bragging to reporters about how Congress certified the 2024 election "without a hitch" in what he described as "record" time—and was quickly called out on social media.

During a press conference following Monday's certification, Johnson—without a hint of irony—said:

Keep ReadingShow less
Doug Ford; Donald Trump
Vince Talotta/Toronto Star via Getty Images; Scott Olson/Getty Images

Canadian Leader Trolls Trump's Statehood Offer With A Brilliant 'Counteroffer' Of His Own

Ontario Premier Doug Ford shut down President-elect Donald Trump's bizarre threat to make Canada part of the United States before jokingly making a "counteroffer" to buy a few states instead.

Ford's response is the latest development since Trump made headlines for jabbing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau with remarks about Canadian statehood.

Keep ReadingShow less
silhouette photo of man riding unicycle
Noel Nichols on Unsplash

People Confess Which Things They're Unreasonably Good At

There's an ice breaker exercise that asks participants to share their secret superpower. Individuals would share the unusual skills and hidden talents they had that might surprise others.

This question reminds me of that exercise. What sometimes useless skill does a person have that they excel at.

Keep ReadingShow less