Wilfredo Roman: Chicago cop allegedly 'shoved' flashlight into handcuffed teen’s butt
COOK COUNTY, CHICAGO: Wilfredo Roman, a Chicago Police Department lieutenant, has been accused of shoving a flashlight into the backside of a handcuffed teen carjacking suspect, reports say. Roman, 21, surrendered Wednesday, September 1, to the department’s Bureau of Internal Affairs. The incident is said to have taken place in February and came to light in July.
"That’s what you get for carjacking, " prosecutors alleged Roman told the 17-year-old suspect as he walked away. Reportedly, prosecutors said Roman "shoved" the flashlight "in-between" the teen’s buttocks after he and another suspect, 16, were arrested for allegedly carjacking a man at gunpoint and taking his Mazda on February 9.
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According to reports, the teen claimed his handcuffs were too tight, which prompted Roman to walk up behind him and assault him after yelling at him to "shut up", prosecutors noted. Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney Mary McDonnell said at Roman’s bond hearing, that the teen started "yelling when the flashlight entered his buttocks". The teen, whose identification is not known at the moment, is identified as "ZK" in court documents.
Roman's attorney, James McKay 'downplayed' the accusations against him during a bond hearing on Thursday, September 2, and claimed that the teen was not hurt. "This is a spank or a spanking, for the love of God. I had nuns that treated me far worse, " McKay told Cook County Judge Arthur Wesley Willis. McKay alleged that the 17-year-old suspect was an "armed carjacker" who didn’t request medical help afterward. "Your honor, the flashlight in question is smaller than my pen,” McKay said while noting that it did not penetrate the teen. "The fact that the individual may have engaged in a serious felony offense does not mean he should be treated in any way different than anyone else who may come into contact with police. That is not an argument that this court finds very persuasive, " the judge replied.
Judge Willis denied prosecutors’ request that Roman surrender all of his weapons. Department officials said in a statement that Roman "could face additional disciplinary actions pending the outcomes of the criminal and administrative investigations."
Roman, who reportedly earns more than $138,000 annually, has been charged with two felonies, aggravated battery and official misconduct. No comments from Roman were available after the court session on Thursday, September 2. According to reports, charges against the teen and his alleged accomplice are pending in juvenile court.