In a striking legal confrontation, a Chicago resident has taken a stand against what he alleges to be a grave miscarriage of justice. Maleek Ross filed a complaint in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on April 24, 2025, accusing the City of Chicago and several police officers of false arrest and malicious prosecution. The case stems from an incident at Victoria Soto High School in October 2023, where Ross was wrongfully implicated in possessing a firearm.
According to the complaint filed by Ross's attorney, Julian Johnson, the events unfolded when school officials discovered that an unidentified student had brought a firearm to school. This student confessed to having shown it only to another student, who then claimed they placed it in Ross's bookbag without his knowledge. Despite both students admitting their sole involvement and providing written statements exonerating Ross, police officers David Brown, Ignatius Kumeiga, Daniel Collins, Brian Tremaine, Conor Sheridan, Charles White, Roger Ferreira, and Mathew Lopez proceeded with arresting Ross. "It did not matter what the other students said," Officer Collins allegedly stated before arresting Ross.
The complaint details how the officers ignored clear evidence and concealed facts that could have absolved Ross. On October 13, 2023, several officers arrived at Ross's home and arrested him despite being informed by his father over the phone about his innocence. The lawsuit claims that this wrongful arrest led to significant emotional distress for Ross as he faced charges of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon. These charges were eventually dismissed on July 17, 2024, after prosecutors learned of evidence proving his innocence.
Ross is seeking compensatory damages for loss of liberty and emotional distress caused by what he describes as intentional misconduct by law enforcement officials acting under color of law. He also demands punitive damages and attorney fees for violations of his Fourth Amendment rights under 42 U.S.C §1983 related to false arrest and unlawful pretrial detention.
The legal representation for Maleek Ross is provided by Julian Johnson from The Law Office of Julian Johnson LLC. The case is presided over by an unnamed judge in the Northern District Court under Case ID: 1:25-cv-04492.