Social Media Video Shows Chicago Cop Punching Arrestee On The Ground
(CBS) -- Chicago police say he was resisting arrest, but a man who was repeatedly punched in the head by a Chicago police officer says he had just been robbed.
It's the latest confrontation caught on video and posted on social media.
"Put your hand behind your back," the officer tells the suspect, who is on the ground.
"But I'm not fighting you!" the man replies. He adds: "I was just getting robbed."
The suspect is punched at least four times before he gets to his feet and is taken away by other officers.
The incident happened Sunday afternoon near 88th and Wabash in the West Chesterfield neighborhood.
Chicago police say they've opened an internal affairs investigation into the incident, and will be forwarding the video and reports to the Independent Police Review Authority Board.
Some community activists say videos like that one demonstrate Chicago police officers are out of control. Others insist constant criticism of police is hurting crime-fighting efforts, leading to more violence.
On Monday, a sparse crowd attending a public meeting hosted by the U.S. Justice Department, which is investigating the CPD.
"Those that are doing their job we commend you, and those that are not, it's time for you to leave," Renell Perry of the NAACP West Side Branch tells CBS 2's Jim Williams.
Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson said the community will support officers who do the job the right way.
"It's not that they don't want the police in their communities. They just want the police in their communities to be professional, respectful and treat them fairly."
