A caretaker's peaceful day with his elderly father turned into a traumatic ordeal when he was wrongfully tasered and prosecuted by Metra employees. On June 28, 2024, Hambi Cetewayo filed a complaint in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois against the Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad Corporation (Metra), train conductor James Kuderna, and Metra Police Officers Mark Abercrombie, Joshua Klima, and M. Engle.
Cetewayo alleges that on September 6, 2022, after spending time with his father at the park, he headed to the Blue Island Metra Station to return home. When approached by Kuderna for his ticket, Cetewayo struggled to access it on his phone due to internet issues. Despite explaining his situation, Kuderna called the police officers who then arrived and demanded Cetewayo leave the train. As he tried to explain further, they tasered him without cause. Cetewayo asserts that he posed no threat and had not broken any laws at the time of the incident.
The complaint states that following this incident, false criminal charges were filed against Cetewayo by Kuderna and the officers in an attempt to cover up their misconduct. These charges were eventually dismissed on May 21, 2024. Cetewayo claims that as a result of these actions, he suffered physical injuries, emotional trauma, humiliation, mental anguish, and other damages.
Cetewayo's lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages under several counts including violations of his Fourth Amendment rights under 42 U.S.C. §1983 for unlawful search and seizure; indemnification from Metra under Illinois law; intentional infliction of emotional distress; and malicious prosecution. He is also asking for reimbursement of legal costs and any other relief deemed just by the court.
Representing Cetewayo is attorney Jeanette Samuels from Samuels & Associates Ltd. The case has been assigned Case ID No. 24 CV 5467.