Chicago police have launched an internal investigation after an officer was caught on video Sunday punching a man claiming to be the victim of a robbery in the city’s Chatham neighborhood.
According to Chicago’s WGN News, the man in the video is 22-year-old Robert Foreman. He was released from custody Monday after being charged with resisting arrest and public drinking.
In the video posted by Facebook user Maurice Fulson, Foreman is on the ground screaming for help as an arresting officer tells him to cooperate. Foreman pleads with the officer to let him go because he claims to be a victim of a robbery that happened earlier.
“I’m not fighting,” Foreman tells the officer. “I’m not fighting … I was just getting robbed.”
Then the officer punches and elbows the man in the face several times before asking for backup.
Since its posting, the video has garnered a response from the Chicago Police Department. The CPD released this statement Monday:
“Based on this video, CPD has opened an internal affairs investigation into this incident and will be forwarding the video and all relevant reports to the Independent Review Board for investigation. We are committed to the highest levels of integrity and professional standards and look forward to IPRA’s review of this incident.”
This latest investigation comes a week after a white officer was caught on tape stomping on the head of a Black man during an arrest in North Lawndale.
