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LOCAL News :: Civil & Human Rights : Crime & Police : Prisons

Mentally Retarded Man Beaten, Tasered by Chicago Police

In a lawsuit to be filed today, a law firm known for battling police misconduct is alleging that officers with the Chicago Police Department beat and shocked a mentally retarded man but never charged him with any crime.
In a lawsuit to be filed today, a law firm known for battling police misconduct is alleging that officers with the Chicago Police Department beat and shocked a mentally retarded man but never charged him with any crime.

The police attack on 54-year-old Alfredo Lee Florez occurred at the end of last month, according to a statement released by the Law Offices of Blake Horowitz. Officers reportedly shocked Florez three times with a Taser weapon and repeatedly struck him, ignoring a nearby crowd's admonition that the man could not comprehend what the officers were saying.

A press release from Florez's attorney, Blake Hortwitz, states "It's an outrage that a mentally disabled man, one of the most vulnerable members of society, would be attacked, completely unprovoked, by the very people charged with serving and protecting him."

"This is a clear case of excessive force," Mr. Horwitz said. "Tasers are supposed to be an alternative to deadly force, not a cattle prod."

Horwitz has claimed victoru in a number of police misconduct cases, including a $28 million verdict against the city of Chicago, the largest police brutality verdict in the Midwest.
 
 

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