Oct 15, 2007 9:25 pm US/Central
Woman Says Cops Roughed Her Up Without Provocation
Daughters Were In Car At Time Of Incident, Woman Says
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
A woman who claims Chicago police officers roughed her up is calling for a public apology and financial compensation for her pain and suffering.
And as CBS 2's Mai Martinez reports, the woman's children witnessed the alleged police brutality.
October 4, 2007 is a day Beverly Wilson Ellison Sr., will never forget. While driving her daughters to school that morning, Ellison had a run-in with a Chicago police officer who was looking for a suspect along 103rd and Aberdeen streets.
"He pulled around to the side of my truck and asked me, 'What are you staring at?'" Ellison said. "I said, 'I'm staring at you because you pulled into our lane and almost hit us.'"
After waiting a few seconds, Ellison drove away. The officer followed and pulled her over. After a brief verbal exchanged, Ellison says the officer yanked her out of her SUV.
"As he's dragging me, I'm yelling, 'Help! Help! Somebody call 911. This can't be the real police. I haven't done anything,'" Ellison said.
To her horror, Ellison says she was dragged into the street and then repeated slammed against her SUV, in front of her 10- and 11-year-old daughters who were sitting inside.
"She was screaming, and to me she was crying, and there were tears down her eyes, and she was yelling 'help, help,'" said Quiana Ellison.
"My sister was crying and screaming, and I was screaming also," said Beverly Ellison Jr.
Two more officers showed up to assist the first officer. Beverly Wilson Ellison says one of those officers also roughed her up, but the other allowed her to call her husband to pick up her kids who, according to their father, were in shock.
"I didn't know what was happening, didn't know the full details, didn't get the opportunity to talk to my wife, nothing," said Gilbert Ellison Jr.
Ellison says she spent about 10 hours in police custody before being released with a "failure to stop at a stop sign" citation.
She believes she was treated harshly because she is black and the officers involved were white.
The office of professional standards is investigating the incident.
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