Aurora Officer Suspended After Using Force During 2019 Arrest

AURORA, IL — An Aurora police officer served a 10-day suspension after a Black man had his eye socket broken during an arrest last fall, according to a report by the Aurora Beacon-News. Officer Kyriako Vogiatzis, who is white, was suspended without pay after the Aurora Police Department’s investigation into the arrest found he violated its use-of-force policies, the report states.

Marcus Randle, 36, told the Beacon-News that he suffered several broken bones around his eye socket while he was being arrested on Sept. 28, 2019, adding he is still undergoing treatment.

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According to the report, Randle, who now lives in Bolingbrook, was pulled over in North Aurora that night while driving home from a friend’s funeral with three other men. A police dispatcher told the North Aurora officer that Randle had allegedly pointed a gun at someone earlier that day, and Aurora officers responded to assist, the report states.

Randle told the Beacon-News he did not have a gun on him at any point during the day he was arrested, and he was not charged in connection with that allegation.

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The Aurora Police Department issued a statement last week after videos of the arrest received renewed attention following weeks of protests calling to reform and defund police departments.

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In the statement, department officials said officers pulled Randle and the others out of the vehicle after they "ignored multiple requests" to exit.

"After they were outside of the vehicle, one of our officers used force that was not consistent with Aurora Police’s departmental policies," the statement reads, acknowledging one of the men being arrested suffered a facial injury.

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Vogiatzis was disciplined and suspended without pay after the department’s Office of Professional Standards investigated the incident, according to the statement, which does not name Vogiatzis. The use-of-force case was also reviewed by the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office, which did not bring charges against Vogiatzis, police said.

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Randle faces a misdemeanor resisting arrest charge in connection with the September 2019 incident, the report states. His next hearing is set for Aug. 17, according to Kane County court records.