Sources: Former Police Supt. Eddie Johnson Pushed His Wife Away When She Tried To Stop Him From Burning Her Underwear
CHICAGO (CBS) -- New revelations surfaced Wednesday about a domestic incident at former Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson's house, and how officers were alerted to it.
Sources said the domestic incident involved fire and underwear.
As CBS 2's Suzanne Le Mignot reported, police sources with knowledge of the investigation said former Supt. Johnson was burning his wife's underwear on a bed inside their Bridgeport home. We have been told he used an aerosol can to ignite the fire.
Our sources tell us he pushed his wife away when she tried to stop him. That's when she called a commander at Area Two.
CBS 2 obtained documentation of the incident. It shows a commander at Area Two called the Deering (9th) District to send a beat car and a supervisor to Johnson's home for a wellbeing check during the situation on Friday, Oct. 23.
Johnson's wife is assigned to the Deering District.
The report also shows the offender was no longer at the scene. No 911 call was made, since Johnson's wife called a police colleague instead.
When CBS 2's Brad Edwards asked immediately after the incident why Johnson, a domestic battery suspect, was allowed to simply leave the original scene of the investigation, a CPD spokesperson told him "no complaint filed."
Sources also said the commander in charge of the scene at the time is the same commander who was in charge the night Johnson was found slumped over in his car one year ago.
Johnson was fired as superintendent last December, after Mayor Lori Lightfoot accused him of lying to her and the public about what happened the night he was found asleep at the wheel of his vehicle in October 2019, following a night of drinking with a member of his security detail.
That officer, Cynthia Donald, sued Johnson last month. Donald, who was Johnson's personal driver, accused him of years of sexual assault and harassment.
Johnson has denied those claims.
Following an investigation of that night, a report from the Chicago Inspector General's office last week revealed Donald was one of eight officers facing suspension for their roles in the incident.
Donald was suspended seven days for driving under the influence. Seven other officers were given various suspensions for a series of mistakes in investigating what happened, including failing to determine if Johnson was fit to drive after he was found passed out in his vehicle, after having consumed the equivalent of 10 drinks.
The call about the domestic incident happened just eight days after Donald's lawsuit against Johnson.
We reached out to Johnson's lawyer and the Chicago Police Department for comment. Johnson's lawyer had not responded late Wednesday, and police reiterated the incident report that they issued to the news media just after the incident happened.
Also From CBS Chicago:
- Michigan City, Indiana Fire Chief, Deputy Fire Chief Fired Over Handling Of Off-Duty Incident
- Workers 'Dropping Like Flies' Amid COVID-19 Outbreak At IDES North Aurora Office, Employees Say
- New Illinois Veterans Home In Chicago Is Complete, But Still Not Ready For Anyone To Move In