Michael Boehmer has filed a lawsuit against the Village of Melrose Park and several of its police officers in the United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois. The case, identified as 1:24-cv-03855, was filed on May 11, 2024. Boehmer is seeking damages for alleged constitutional violations and physical and emotional injuries inflicted by the defendants.
The plaintiff claims that on May 13, 2023, he was unlawfully detained during a traffic stop. Mr. Boehmer was pulled over with his friends and the officer requested that they exit the vehicle. All four occupants complied and exited the vehicle. Instead of handcuffed each individually, they were all cuffed together to form a chain, similar to the long banned practice used in prisons in the past. The plaintiff alleges this was done to objectify, degrade and embarrass the vehicle occupants.
As backup officers arrived, the complaint alleges that one of the occupants made a off color joke to which the officer escalated by shouting at the occupant to "shut up". The occupant responded with another off color comment.
This is when Melrose Park Police allegedly began to beat the Mr. Boehmer while he was handcuffed and defenseless, repeatedly punching and kicking him in the face until he lost consciousness.
The plaintiff believes at no point did he engage in any conduct that would require this use of force against him, including obstructing or threatening any of the police officers.
Following this incident, Boehmer alleges that the officers engaged in a cover-up by arresting him and charging him with various crimes, five of which have been dismissed in criminal court.
Boehmer further alleges that these constitutional violations were committed as a result of policies and customs of the Village of Melrose Park. He suffered severe personal, physical, and emotional injuries due to the misconduct of the defendants.
The plaintiff is seeking judgment for damages under federal law 42 U.S.C. §§ 1983, 1985, 1986 and 1988 along with Fourth Amendments to the United States Constitution and under state law of Illinois.