A CTA bus passenger filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday claiming he was battered and falsely arrested on a North Side bus last year — an incident that went viral on the Internet when someone on the bus shot an amateur video.
Lorenzo Wiley claims that on Feb. 13, 2009, he boarded CTA bus No. 1353 with an RTA “Ride Free Circuit Permit Card,” but driver Geraldine Clark ordered him off the bus.
Chicago Police Officer K.M. Doyle then boarded the bus and physically assaulted Wiley, according to the suit filed in U.S. District Court.
Officers K. Angarone and Doyle then handcuffed the 49-year-old Wiley and took him to the Near North District police station, where he was falsely charged with theft, the suit claims.
The officers never had a valid search or arrest warrant and did not have probable cause, according to the suit, which names the City of Chicago and the two officers as defendants.
All charges against Wiley were dismissed Nov. 16, 2009, according to the suit.
An amateur video of the incident surfaced on the Internet, showing an officer physically removing a man from a bus. That video led to an investigation by the Independent Police Review Authority, which reviews police conduct.
IPRA received a tip about the video, which showed an officer responding to a call to remove a passenger from the bus.
The passenger appeared to resist at first by refusing to leave, and then appeared to physically rebuff the officer trying to get him off the bus.
On the video, the officer was heard swearing as he ordered the man off the bus. There also appeared to be some sort of physical struggle after the passenger refused to get off and the officer repeatedly told him to exit.
The 10-count suit claims, among other things, false arrest, false imprisonment, excessive force and battery, and seeks an unspecified amount.
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