A woman who was dragged by the hair out of her car during an arrest will not face misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct. The woman Mia Wright claims that officers dragged her out of her car by her hair near the Brickyard Mall and then knelt on her neck for a period of time. City officials refused to explain why they dropped the charges against the woman.
An attorney for Mia Wright said that anyone who looked at the video would see that the police officers’ reaction was baseless and unnecessary.
The Video
The video shows officers on both sides of the car striking the vehicle with their batons before dragging two women out of the car by their hair.
Wright was with several family members who had decided to go to the mall because they needed to go shopping and had heard another nearby mall had been looted. When they got there, however, the Target was closed. Their vehicle was then surrounded by police officers when they tried to leave the parking lot.
Police claimed that Wright was among three other people who were assembled for the purposes of using force or violence to disturb the peace.
Two officers involved in the incident were stripped of their badges pending a police investigation conducted by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability. Prosecutors may still file charges against the officers involved in the mishap.
What Will Happen?
It is more than likely that police were following up on another lead when they crossed paths with Mia Wright and her family. They saw Wright’s vehicle in the parking lot and immediately assumed that the occupants were the individuals for whom they were searching. Having already convicted them in their own minds, anything that the police did to them while apprehending them, they thought they deserved.
While Mia Wright’s criminal investigation has now concluded without charges, the criminal investigation involving the police has just begun. A determination must be made concerning why police stopped Wright’s vehicle and why force was necessary when apprehending Wright. The police can be charged with battery on Wright and the others in the vehicle, but in Illinois, battery is a misdemeanor offense. A felony battery charge would not be appropriate in this case.
Since battery is a misdemeanor, the highest punishment is one year in jail. If we assume that at least two people were battered, individual officers would face two counts of misdemeanor battery each. While this would be unlikely to result in any jail time, commission of a battery in the line of duty is likely to result in the loss of their jobs as police officers, but that is by no means a given.
Talk to a Chicago Criminal Defense Attorney
If you are facing charges in Illinois, then you will need a skilled criminal defense attorney to represent your interests during this difficult time. Call David Freidberg at (312) 560-7100 to learn more about how we can protect your future and your rights.