A family filed a federal lawsuit Friday charging that officers in unmarked squad cars pepper-sprayed and shouted racial slurs at their young children as they drove on the West Side.
Christina Ballard and Cornelius Voss were driving their young niece home Tuesday night following Obama's win when three unmarked police cars began driving alongside them, according to family attorney Gregory Kulis.
The incident happened about 10:30 p.m. in the 5700 block of West Division Street, after the three girls -- ages 11, 6 and 1 -- started yelling "Yay! Obama" out the open car windows, Kulis said.
As the girls shouted and celebrated, a man in one of the three vehicles, which Kulis said had city license plates, yelled "white power" at the vehicle and called the family "niggers."
The man, allegedly a Chicago police officer, then sprayed pepper spray into the vehicle.
Kulis said Voss attempted to follow the offending vehicle, but had to pull over because his wife, daughters and niece were crying and screaming from the pepper spray in their eyes.
The family washed their faces at a nearby store and Voss took them to West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park for treatment.
The family attempted to file a report with Austin District police late Tuesday, but were told all officers were on the street and a report couldn't be filed, Kulis said. The attorney said the family went back to 15th District headquarters the following day and again had trouble, though they ultimately filed a report with the Independent Police Review Authority.
IPRA spokesman Mark Payne said Saturday that the authority is investigating the complaint, and that there were "multiple allegations" of officers using pepper spray on civilians on election night.
Kulis said his office is attempting to contact people who witnessed the incident, and said there there have been unconfirmed reports of up to 50 similar police-involved incidents in the Austin area Tuesday night.
The suit, filed in U.S. District Court, accuses four unnamed officers of battery, excessive use of force and hate crimes. The family is asking for more than $150,000 in damages.
(Source: Sun-Times News Group Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2008. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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