Suburban Chicago police officer charged with battery, misconduct during arrest
CHICAGO (CBS) – A Waukegan police officer was charged in connection with an incident last month in which he allegedly threw down a civilian in handcuffs.
Officer Richard Tabisz was charged with official misconduct and misdemeanor battery during the Dec. 14 incident.
The Lake County State's Attorney's Office said the Waukegan Police Department "acted swiftly and appropriately" to present the evidence to prosecutors.
There were up to seven officers on the scene. The civilian was cooperating and the situation was "completely under control," said Lake County State's Attorney Eric Rinehart in a statement.
Tabisz was not the arresting officer and threw the handcuffed civilian to the ground in front of several officers. Besides Tabisz, Rinehart said the other officers acted "very professionally" during the encounter.
The incident was clearly captured on police body cameras.
The State's Attorney's Office said it began a review of all pending cases involving Tabisz in light of the charges.
Tabisz will appear in court on Jan. 17.
