CHICAGO – A Chicago A police lieutenant has been stripped of his police powers after a shocking confrontation was caught on camera.
FOX 32’s Tia Ewing spoke with the man who recorded it. He does not want his name published for fear of retaliation, because this is not the first time this officer has been accused of wrongdoing.
The officer was off duty at the time of the incident, which occurred on July 12, and the video captured a racial slur uttered during the heated argument.
In the video, a man in a blue shirt can be heard using the N-word. The same night, the man in blue got into another fight with another person on a rooftop in downtown Chicago. In this second incident, the person he was arguing with identified him as a police officer.
Behind the cellphone recording was Raheem. He confronted the man in blue at the scene. Days later, Raheem posted the video on Instagram, garnering thousands of views and an investigation.
“I didn’t really know how to react because it’s like, I know they’re the police and he’s not talking to me, but it’s still getting to me. I don’t know how to direct my anger,” Raheem said.
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability is investigating the incident and Lt. Andrew Dakuras, who is a 29-year veteran of the police force. On July 16, he was stripped of his police powers pending the outcome of the Chicago Police Department’s investigation.
“They really need to pay attention to the complaints being made. Pay attention to the officers that they have. These are the people that are arresting our communities,” Raheem said.
And this isn’t the first time Dakuras has made headlines.
In 2021, a federal jury found that Dakuras used excessive force when a man was tackled and beaten during the Chicago Cubs’ 2016 World Series celebration. The man was awarded $53,000. At that time, Dakuras had 73 complaints against him.
The police history of Dakuras was not entirely marked by turmoil. In 2019, a video shows that he was honored alongside two other police officers for rescuing a woman who was under attack.
