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Chicago Police Officers Charged With Beating 17-Year-Old Carjacking Suspect

(Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Bradley Devlin General Assignment & Analysis Reporter
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Two Chicago police officers were charged Wednesday for allegedly beating a teenage carjacking suspect who allegedly pointed a gun at police.

Chicago Police Officers Jeffery Shafer and Victor Guebara were each charged with felony counts of aggravated battery and official misconduct, according to the Chicago Tribune. The charges stem from a Jan. 10 incident where Shafer and Guebara struck a 17-year-old suspected of stealing a 21012 Chevrolet in the head or face, pushed his head into a metal fence, and used excessive force “without justification,” FOX 32 Chicago reported. Officers claim the 17-year-old pointed a gun at Shafer and Guebara as they attempted to take the suspect into custody.

The pair of officers, “both seven-year veterans of the Chicago Police Department, surrendered to members of the Department’s Bureau of Internal Affairs at the 1st District Police Station,” were taken into custody, a statement from the Chicago Police Department said. Both were also scheduled to appear for a bond hearing Wednesday, documents from the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office showed, the Chicago Tribune noted.

Chicago’s Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA) records show that Shafer and Guebara were assigned to police the Grand Crossing patrol district on Jan. 10, the Chicago Tribune reported. Just before noon, the officers were alerted to a 2012 Chevrolet that had allegedly been stolen. Shafer and Guebara were eventually able to track down the car, meeting it “front end to front end” at 65th and Drexel Avenue, the COPA records said, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Upon seeing the officers, the alleged carjacker drove around the officers’ vehicle, and a pursuit ensued. During the pursuit, the carjacker recklessly drove up onto the sidewalk and made an abrupt left turn, colliding with the police vehicle on the cop car’s passenger side, the records claimed, the Chicago Tribune reported.

However, it remain unclear as to when the 17-year-old pointed a gun at police officers before his arrest, according to FOX 32. (RELATED: Chicago Cops Turn Their Backs To Mayor Lightfoot At Hospital After Two Officers Shot)

After his arrest, the 17-year-old was charged with stealing the vehicle, aggravated battery for colliding with the squad car, and other things, in Cook County Juvenile Court. Previously, the suspect was arrested on June 7, 2020, under suspicion of carrying an illegal gun.

Since the incident, neither the Chicago Police Department or the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office have disclosed many details regarding the officer’s actions, according to the Chicago Tribune. However, police records indicate that Shafer and Guebara have been on paid administrative desk duty since Jan. 20. 

COPA records also showed that two more police officers could face disciplinary actions because they failed to intervene as Shafer and Guebara took the 17-year-old into custody, and did not report the “unjustified use of force” to their superiors, according to the Chicago Tribune.