Man Says Montgomery Police Officers Used Racial Slur, Falsely Arrested Him

A former Montgomery resident says police officers for the second time unnecessarily targeted and harassed him, using racial slurs, according to a report from CBS Chicago.

In 2009, George Taylor was pulled over with his then-girlfriend and children. Taylor said they were called “a bunch of f-----g n-----s.” The incident was caught on video and resulted in a three-day suspension for one officer and an out-of-court financial settlement from the Village of Montgomery.

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The next incident occurred in 2014 when Taylor walked outside to see what was happening when officers were talking to his girlfriend and her son. Taylor said this second incident involved the same officers as the first.

When Taylor approached the officers, he was taken to the ground and kicked in the head, which was caught on a dash cam. Taylor said he lost a tooth in the incident. Officers claimed Taylor was resisting arrest.

Taylor’s lawyer, Michael Schmiege, has filed a federal lawsuit against the Montgomery police over the incident.

“It’s crystal-clear retaliation. I don’t think these officers thought it was going to be captured on video tape the second time around,” he told CBS Chicago.

The dash cam footage came from a Kendall County Sheriff’s Office vehicle assisting at the scene.

A judge presiding over the latest incident did not believe the claims Taylor was resisting and found him not guilty.

According to court documents obtained by CBS Chicago, police claimed Taylor was agitated and yelling, but the judge noted only six seconds had passed between when police asked Taylor for his name and when they had him on the ground.

“If I didn’t have that video I would have been convicted,” Taylor said. He believes more video of the incident is out there.

Montgomery Police Chief Daniel Meyers told CBS Chicago he could not comment on pending litigation.