A Niles Police officer resigned on Feb. 1 after he trained his gun on an unarmed suspect walking through Evanston Public Library, which prompted library patrons to duck for cover, according to a report written by his supervisor.
A Niles Police officer resigned Feb. 1 after he trained his gun on an unarmed suspect walking through Evanston Public Library, which prompted library patrons to duck for cover, according to a report written by his supervisor and obtained through a Freedom of Information request. The officer had been on probation for another use-of-force incident.
Eckhardt’s memo detailed that Antonio asked a man in the library if he was okay when he found him lying on the floor, and that the man told him his back was hurting. He also violated a policy that states officers should not use force if a suspect does not appear to be a threat, Eckhardt wrote.“The unarmed suspect was walking away, was no longer an immediate threat to Officer Antonio and was not aggressive toward any patrons,” Eckhardt wrote. “From the video alone, it shows Ofc. Antonio’s gun was pointed at multiple patrons as he followed the suspect around, some of whom were ducking to stay out of the way.
Eckhardt’s memo also observed that Antonio appeared to have a chance to de-escalate the situation with the man and opted not to do so. Another memo from Sergeant Michael Boba to Romano, dated Jan. 26, 2023 and obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, states that Antonio had not interviewed a witness in what ultimately became a home invasion case. Antonio had written in his case report that he had interviewed the witness, Boba stated, but body-worn camera footage contradicted that statement.
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