West Side Commander Charged With Aggravated Battery, Stripped Of Police Powers
Updated 08/28/14 - 12:10 p.m.
(CBS) -- A Chicago Police commander on the city's West Side has been stripped of his police powers and has been charged with aggravated battery.
As of 10:00 p.m. Wednesday, the Chicago Police website still shows Commander Glenn Evans as the boss of the Harrison District. But police sources told CBS 2 that Evans turned in his gun and badge Wednesday, amid allegations of brutality.
Evans has been charged with aggravated battery and official misconduct according to a spokeswoman from the Cook County State's Attorney's office. Evans is accused of putting the barrel of his gun into a suspect's mouth as he was being restrained.
Sources told CBS 2 that Evans would be reassigned to work at Police Headquarters until an investigation of the incident is complete.
According to published reports, Evans and officers under his command were on patrol on Jan. 30, 2013, when they saw 24-year-old Ricky Williams holding a gun in his hand hear the corner of 71st Street and Eberhart Avenue.
When they approached Williams, he ran away, and into an abandoned house. He no longer had the gun when he was arrested, and a reckless conduct charge was dropped a few months later.
It was unclear at what point Evans allegedly put his service weapon in Williams' mouth, but Williams' DNA was found on the barrel.
As of Thursday, Williams was being held at the Pontiac Correctional Center on unrelated charges, serving a two-year prison sentence.
Evans was one of Police Supt. Garry McCarthy's go-to guys; a key replacement in a recent command shakeup, and frequently praised by the superintendent for his approach to police work.
In a ridealong with CBS 2 last December, Evans decried "an old style of policing that didn't work, especially in these more volatile times."
"The old attitude is essentially just patrol around, not stop these individuals, not challenge them. … letting a lot of these gang bangers intimidate them, but that's all going to change," Evans said.
Earlier this week, as rumors of the allegations against Evans swirled, McCarthy balked when asked if the commander should be stripped of his powers.
"I'm not going to answer that question. That's absurd," McCarthy said. "Do I support him? If I didn't support him, he wouldn't be there."
McCarthy has since changed his tune. In a written statement after Evans was charged, the superintendent said:
"The alleged actions, if true, are unacceptable to the both the residents we serve and to the men and women of this department. As soon as we were made aware of the charges Commander Evans was relieved of his police powers, pending the outcome of this matter. Like any private citizen, the commander is innocent until proven guilty and we need to allow this case to proceed like any other. We will cooperate fully with prosecutors."
The Cook County Sheriff's office said Evans surrendered to custody around 6:30 a.m. Thursday. Evans was scheduled to appear in bond court at noon.
