The family of a woman who was arrested by Evanston police on Jan. 5 is suing the City of Evanston and six Evanston police officers over an incident the family says left the woman, Felicea Williams, in a comatose state since the encounter.
Jacqueline Hoffman, Williams’ mother, filed the federal civil rights lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on June 1, alleging that Evanston police used “excessive force” while restraining Williams, 42, outside of a bar on the 2000 block of Howard Street, near the border of Evanston and Chicago, on the night of Jan. 5.
According to the federal lawsuit, officers failed to intervene as Williams demonstrated various “signs of medical distress,” including trouble breathing.
The complaint also alleges violations of failure to intervene by officers and additional battery claims, according to Victor P. Henderson, a lawyer for The Cochran Firm Chicago, who is representing Hoffman and the Williams’ family in the suit.
While Williams was restrained by officers on the night of Jan. 5, she suffered from cardiac arrest, the suit alleges, and became unresponsive.
Williams was later taken to St. Francis Hospital in Evanston by first responders and has remained in a coma since, the family said.
Williams was charged by the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office with felony counts of aggravated battery to a police officer and resisting arrest, according to Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County records.
Evanston police named as defendants in the suit include Officers Todorche Ginchevski, Jack Gutekanst, Hoo Park, Amanda Fernandez, Michael Pagan and Jonathan Kurzeja. The City of Evanston is also listed as a defendant.
The Evanston Police Department did not immediately respond to a Pioneer Press request for comment regarding the current status of the officers involved and whether or not they were ever placed on leave in regards to the incident.
“My daughter went out that night and never came home,” Williams’ mother Jacqueline Hoffman said in a statement released by The Cochran Firm Chicago.
“Nearly five months later, she is still fighting for her life. We filed this lawsuit because we need answers, and because Felicea deserves justice. We deserve to know what happened to her.”
A spokesperson for the City of Evanston declined a Pioneer Press request for comment on the lawsuit, stating that the city cannot comment on “pending litigation.”
The Evanston Police Department referred back to the city’s comment in response to the incident.
This is the second suit filed against the City of Evanston on behalf of the Williams’ family, according to Henderson.
The Cochran Firm Chicago filed an initial suit on April 8 after the city “repeatedly and consistently failed to respond” to the firm’s repeated Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests for the body camera footage from Jan. 5 and all other records and communications related to the incident, Henderson said.
The firm eventually dropped the initial suit when the city released documents relating to the FOIA request “hours before the family’s April press conference,” according to a firm news release announcing the June 1 federal lawsuit.
“For months, this family was forced to fight for even the most basic information about what happened to Felicea,” Henderson said in a statement regarding the suit.
“It took legal action to obtain portions of the evidence, and what we have seen only deepens our concerns. While some materials were provided, we still do not have the full set of records needed to understand what happened to this young woman. We are getting fragments, not answers.”
According to the suit, officers Ginchevski and Gutekanst responded to a “report of a disturbance” on Howard Street at approximately 9:30 p.m. on Jan. 5.
Officers observed Williams, who was reportedly unarmed, “running into the street and attempting to enter a car,” the suit alleges.
Ginchevski got out of his patrol vehicle to apprehend Williams, who then fell to the ground.
Gutekanst then assisted Ginchevski by restraining Williams, while “approximately four to six more police officers” arrived at the scene and then “pinned Ms. Williams to the ground with their hands and feet,” the suit alleges.
While actively restrained, the suit states the Williams was “visibly grunting and gasping for air” in an “obvious attempt to save her own life.”
Williams then became unresponsive and was subsequently taken to St. Francis Hospital by first responders for medical treatment.
Henderson said the Williams family is not seeking a specific amount in damages, but rather “excess of the jurisdictional amount” required to file in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and additional punitive damages.
