Jun 14, 2007 7:18 pm US/Central
Lawsuit: Police Beat Chicago Man Because He Is Gay
Ruppert Claims Officers Beat Him Because He Is Gay
by Mike Parker
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
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Alexander Ruppert, an AIDS patient, says police beat him severely in a 2006 incident.
A North side man's accusation is the latest in the string of misconduct claims against Chicago police officers. The man filed a federal lawsuit Thursday that police beat him because he is gay.
As CBS 2's Mike Parker reports, in March 2006, Alexander Ruppert, a gay man with AIDS, lay injured in the hospital. A beating left him with facial and head wounds and 16 stitches. Thursday, a federal lawsuit claimed he was beaten without provocation by two Chicago police officers from the 20th District.
"They beat him not only with their fists but they beat him with their words of hate," said attorney Jon Erickson.
The incident began in the Uptown Lounge when two officers arrested Ruppert for disorderly conduct. The suit claims the officers then drove him to a spot a few blocks away and beat him badly.
"He begged them to stop," said attorney Michael Oppenheimer. "It was only when he told them he had AIDS that they stop the vicious beating. And it was only after he bled all over their car that they called for medical attention."
Ruppert's partner, David Flood, said "[Ruppert] is seeking justice not only for himself but for our community."
The head of Chicago's police union said media coverage of the Jefferson Tap & Grille brawl and the videotaped Anthony Abbate bartender assault create an unfair public perception of police behavior.
"If the average citizen would be subjected to the amount of coverage of the daily acts of heroism here in the department, they'd have a different perspective," said Mark Donohue of the Fraternal Order of Police.
After the incident, police filed charges of aggravated battery against a police officer against Ruppert. The officers claimed Ruppert injured their knuckles. The charges were later dropped by the Cook County State's Attorney's Office.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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