Suit: Paralyzed Man Dragged From Car and Beaten by Chicago Cops

A series of anecdotes aren't data, but these kinds of stories have been popping up every day for years ...

Chicago Sun-Times:

A quadriplegic man sued the Chicago Police Department in federal court Thursday, claiming officers yanked him out of the passenger seat of a car in 2006, dragged him to the ground and beat him up even though he kept yelling "I'm paralyzed."

"They were kicking me and punching me," Daniel Casares said. "I was scared for my life."

Casares, 28, can't use his legs and his right hand -- and his left arm and hand are "significantly paralyzed," said his attorney, Blake Horwitz.

On Oct. 9, 2006, Casares was a passenger in a car driven by his brother. They were parked in an alley in the 10300 block of Avenue M in the East Side neighborhood.

Casares said he was waiting for a man to bring him money for a car deal when officers approached. The cops suspected the men were smoking marijuana and told them to get out of the car, Horwitz said.