Woman dies after months in coma her family blames on confrontation with Evanston police
A woman has died after six months in a coma that her family blames on a confrontation with police in Evanston, Illinois, attorneys said Wednesday.
Attorneys for Felicea Williams, 42, said earlier Wednesday, her family reported she had died after spending six months in a coma.
On Jan. 5 of this year, Evanston police arrested Williams in the 1100 block of Howard Street near Barton Avenue. Howard Street divides Evanston from Chicago in this area.
Evanston police said at 9:38 p.m. that night, officers were called to the scene for two men battering another person. At the same time, Chicago police were called for a stabbing at a bar on the Chicago side of Howard Street, police said.
Evanston police said their officers, who were patrolling nearby, found that Williams was involved in both incidents.
When police arrived, Williams was bleeding from the face, and a person at the scene said she was involved in the altercation, Evanston police said. Williams ran into the street and tried to force her way into a car, and officers told her to stop, police said.
As officers tried to detain Williams, she spat blood and saliva into an officer's mouth and tried to bite his ungloved hand, police said. Officers tried to arrest Williams, but she resisted, and officers used force to apprehend her, police said.
The Evanston Fire Department responded and moved Williams onto a gurney, police said. She became unresponsive, and paramedics began trying to resuscitate her before she was taken to an area hospital, police said.
Evanston police found that Williams was injured after being battered by the two men for whom police were first called.
Williams was charged with aggravated battery to a police officer, police said. Evanston police also notified the Illinois State Police Public Integrity Task Force of the incident, police said.
In a lawsuit filed this week in U.S. District Court, attorneys from The Cochran Firm Chicago claimed that officers used excessive force while restraining her and failed to intervene when she was showing signs of medical distress. Attorneys said Williams had a heart attack during her arrest, which led to the coma.
On Wednesday, attorneys said, "While Felicea's life has ended, this family's pursuit of accountability has not. We remain committed to ensuring that every fact surrounding this tragedy is brought to light through the legal process."
