Cop Says He's Detaining Teen 'Because You're White' In Video

LAKE VILLA, IL — A Lake Villa police officer has been disciplined after he was recorded for making a racially-charged statement towards a teen he had detained. The officer told the teen he was being detained because he is white.

Dezi Baczek was with her friends at a Lake Villa pawn shop, selling an item to buy her little brother a book, according to a report by NBC 5. As they exited, a Lake Villa detective approached them, yelling at Baczek to sit down.

Baczek inquired as to why, and the detective, Esteban Gomez, gave her the choice of sitting down or being arrested, she said, so she sat down and began recording the incident with her smart phone.

Police said Gomez was conducting a theft investigation and was questioning somebody in the group, NBC 5 reported.

He questioned the teen, who asked why he was being detained. "Because I'm a teen? Because I have baggy pants?" the teen asked.

"Because you're white," Gomez replied.

Baczek was shocked. "Like I wasn't comprehending what he actually said for a minute," she said.

Missy Maczek was also taken aback. “I felt like we were being outcasted because we’re white, which is just unheard of," she said, according to NBC 5.

Lake Villa Police Chief Craig Somerville said Gomez came to him soon after the incident and informed him. "Det. Gomez admitted his words were poorly chosen and insensitive and he immediately regretted what he had said,” Somerville said in a statement. “The Lake Villa Police Department does not condone this type of behavior of its officers."

Gomez reported the group of teens was with the suspect during the investigation, adding that one of them gave him a false name, leading to an obstruction charge.

"For behavior unbecoming an officer," Gomez was disciplined, and will speak directly with the teens involved and their parents. It is unclear what disciplinary action is being taken.

"I apologize to anyone who may have been offended by what is depicted on this video," Somerville said in his statement, adding that the buck stops with him. "This occurred on my watch and I assume full responsibility."

See the video here:

Article image via YouTube screen grab