According to Steven Fine, a lawyer for the four men, the six officers “kicked, punched and stomped” his clients at the Jefferson Tap and Grille in the West Loop, dragging at least one of the men outside.
At one point during the early morning attack on Dec. 15, an on-duty officer responded to a 911 call, spoke to one of the off-duty officers, then left, Fine said. Later, other police arrived and did speak to Fine’s clients, but no arrests were made.
Charges, Fine argued, should have been filed by now.
“Had it been a typical bar fight there would have been an arrest made that night,” he said. “They have enough evidence to make an arrest, and it just seems to be a case where they’re protecting their own.”
Police spokeswoman Monique Bond said Monday that the Cook County state’s attorney’s office is investigating. No one has been charged.
The videotape is evidence and so would not be immediately released, she said.
“Hopefully we’ll have something that we can release very soon,” she said.
Fine said he’ll ask a judge April 2 to grant him access to the video. He also wants the judge to order the release of the names of the officers accused of being involved.
In a separate incident reported last week, a videotape released by attorneys showed 24-year-old bartender Karolina Obrycka being punched, kicked and thrown to the ground by an off-duty police officer at Jesse’s Short Stop Inn.
