A lawsuit filed this week in Chicago claims Batavia police officers attacked a then 17-year-old boy two years ago when he was arrested for an alleged alcohol offense.
Benjamin Johnston claims that on Nov. 22, 2008, he was arrested by Batavia police during a traffic stop conducted while he was riding in a friend’s vehicle, according to a suit filed Thursday in Cook County Circuit Court.
While at the Batavia police station, Johnston claims an officer punched him in the face, knocking him to the ground, then lunged on top of him and continued the attack. Another officer witnessed the incident and failed to stop the attack, the lawsuit says.
The suit claims Johnston was then grabbed by the officer under his left armpit and handcuffed to a bench. It claims he was bleeding and officers failed to provide timely medical assistance.
The officers also filed false written reports of the attack, according to the suit.