Man sues city within 40 hours of being arrested for allegedly possessing a stolen firearm

Lorenzo Williams and a video image from the arrest. (Chicago Police Department, Twitter)

CHICAGO — A man who was tackled, struck, and threatened with a gun this week by Chicago police officers who were trying to secure a gun he allegedly possessed sued the city within 40 hours of being arrested, court records show. His lawsuit does not mention that officials claim he was in possession of a stolen gun.

According to a detention petition filed in the case, at about 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Lorenzo Williams was “seen on [police surveillance] video with a handgun in his front waistband. When officers attempted to detain him, he ran, resisted, and attempted to grab his handgun, which put the officers’ and Defendant’s lives in danger.”

The police allegedly recovered from Williams a loaded .40-caliber Ruger handgun that had been reported stolen from Mason City, Iowa. The officers also noted in a report that the background on Williams’ phone is a picture of him holding the recovered firearm.

“It’s not a complete video. It doesn’t show everything,” CPD Supt. Larry Snelling said during an unrelated press conference this week. One officer has been relieved of his police powers while officials investigate the incident.

Judge Susana Ortiz granted the state’s detention petition on Wednesday, writing in her order that Williams has three felony convictions and two officers were injured during their struggle with Williams.

Court records show Williams was found not guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm during a bench trial before Judge Kenneth Wadas in 2019. Prosecutors dropped another gun case in 2022. He is currently on probation for a narcotics case and has previous felony convictions for resisting in 2019 and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon in 2015, records show.

At 10:07 a.m. on Thursday, less than 40 hours after Williams was arrested, lawyers sued the city and the Chicago Police Department, claiming police assaulted and battered him and displayed “wilful and wanton” behavior.

The lawsuit claims Williams was “peacefully walking on public property” when the police “absent reasonable suspicion, probable cause, right, or other legal right” stopped and detained him and “then commenced hitting and beating him.”

It further alleges that the officers beat and punched Williams in the face and head with a hard object and put a gun directly to his head while yelling, “Hey, I’mma f***’n shoot you.”

Williams suffered “significant and severe pain and injuries, some of which may be permeant [sic] in nature.” CPD’s arrest report said Williams was treated at St. Mary’s Hospital “for minor injuries.”

The lawsuit is scheduled for an initial hearing in October.

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