CHICAGO (CBS) – A Chicago
police officer has been indicted on federal charges, accused of using excessive
force when he allegedly punched a man during an arrest in 2012, and kicked him
while he was handcuffed and lying on the floor face-down.
Aldo Brown, 37, has been
charged with one count of violating a victim’s civil rights, and two counts of
obstruction of justice. Brown, who has been an officer since 2002, has not yet
been scheduled for arraignment.
Federal prosecutors allege
Brown and another unnamed officer entered a convenience store on East 76th
Street on Sept. 27, 2012, and placed two people in handcuffs. After searching
the store, the unnamed officer allegedly removed the handcuffs from one man,
and Brown allegedly struck the man several times.
The victim was then handcuffed
again, and Brown pulled a gun from the man’s rear pants pocket, according to
prosecutors. Brown then allegedly kicked the man while he was lying on his
stomach, before Brown and his partner arrested the man.
Brown allegedly falsified a
“tactical response report” on the incident, claiming the victim actively
resisted, and fled from the officers, and did not indicate Brown punched or
kicked the victim.
Prosecutors allege Brown also
falsified an arrest report, by claiming he saw a gun in the victim’s poket
while interviewing him, then “conducted a [sic] emergency take down.”
The indictment alleges Brown
did not see the gun until after he had struck the man several times, and
handcuffed him twice.
The second officer was not
charged as part of the indictment.
Although the indictment does
not identify the second officer, or either of the men who were handcuffed at
the convenience store, two brothers sued Brown and Officer George Stacker in
October 2012, claiming the officers beat them during that arrest.
Jecque Howard and Paul Neal
said they were working in the store when the two officers came in and began handcuffing
people.
“I’m getting a gun pointed at
me and punched in my face and kicked in my ribs,” said Jecque Howard.
Howard said the officers never
even said why they were there. He said Officer George Stacker was the first to
approach him.
“He came to the front and said
‘you work here?’, and I said, ‘yes’. He said ‘well not after today, you’re
fired,’” explained Howard.
Howard’s brother, Paul Neal,
was working outside the South Shore shop for a government cell phone program at
the time.
Surveillance footage obtained
by the 2 Investigators was at the center of an Independent Police Review
Authority investigation at the time.
