A man who sued the city of Chicago within 40 hours after being apprehended by CPD officers who reportedly retrieved a weapon from his waistline has now pled guilty to carrying the firearm. Social media garnered local attention and captured the arrest on film.
Lorenzo Williams, 33, pled guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm with a prior conviction and received a three-year sentence from Judge Shelley Sutker-Dermer, according to court documents. He is set to be released in January, having served half of his term.
On July 30, last year, Williams was “seen on [police surveillance] video with a handgun in his front waistband.” When authorities sought to hold him, he fled, struggled, and attempted to seize his revolver, endangering both the officers’ and the defendant’s lives, according to prosecutors in a detention petition.
The police camera operators noticed “the butt end of a handgun in [Williams’] front middle waistband as he lifted his shirt up” near the 800 block of North Cambridge, according to a CPD report.
Patrol cops moved in, and a portion of his arrest was captured on this video (strong language):
During the arrest, two cops apparently sustained minor injuries. The arrest record also states that Williams received medical attention at St. Mary’s Hospital “for minor injuries.”
“This is not a complete video.” It doesn’t show everything,” CPD Superintendent Larry Snelling remarked at an unrelated press appearance days after the video went viral.
Police eventually discovered a loaded .40-caliber Ruger handgun reported stolen from Mason City, Iowa, according to officials. The detectives also stated in a report that the background on Williams’ phone is a photo of him clutching the recovered handgun.
Less than 40 hours later, Williams’ lawyers sued the city and the Chicago Police Department, saying that officers beat and battered him and engaged in “willful and wanton” behavior.
According to the lawsuit, Williams was “peacefully walking on public property” when officers stopped and detained him “absent reasonable suspicion, probable cause, right, or other legal right” and “then commenced hitting and beating him.”
It was also stated that the cops battered and hit Williams in the face and head with a hard instrument before placing a gun directly to his head and saying, “Hey, I’m f***ing shooting you.”
The complaint, which is still ongoing, made no mention of officials alleging he was carrying a stolen pistol. It stated that Williams experienced “significant and severe pain and injuries, some of which may be permanent [sic] in nature.”
