Officer seen on video repeatedly striking inmate handcuffed to wall, Illinois cops say

Brendan Rascius
·2 min read
6

A correctional officer attacked a handcuffed inmate, striking him dozens of times, Illinois officials said. The officer has now been charged.

The assault, which was captured on surveillance footage, happened in Cook County Jail on September 20, according to an April 18 press release from the Cook County Sheriff’s Office.

Correctional Officer Richard Smith, 44, — a longtime employee of the jail — hit a 24-year-old inmate “more than 30 times,” officials said.

At the time of the assault, the inmate was handcuffed to a wall by one arm, according to CBS News.

Surveillance footage shows the officer seeming to speak to the inmate before striking him. The inmate fought back but appeared to be restrained by another officer.

Smith appeared to repeatedly punch the inmate near his head, including after he had fallen to the ground.

The inmate was later treated for injuries, officials said.

An attorney for Smith could not immediately be reached for comment by McClatchy News.

After the incident, Smith was de-deputized and a criminal investigation was opened, officials said.

The case was brought to the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, which authorized charges of official misconduct and aggravated battery.

Smith surrendered to investigators on April 18 and appeared in court later that day before being released on a $50,000 bond.

“Excessive or unlawful force is not tolerated,” Sheriff Thomas Dart stated in the release.

“We have instituted a nationally recognized system to help prevent such abuse and prosecute it when it happens,” Dart said. “Those who engage in this abuse completely disregarded their training, and they disparage the hardworking men and women who keep the jail safe and secure.”

The sheriff’s office is planning to recommend that Smith be terminated, according to multiple reports.

Two inmates were found dead a day apart from each other in the Cook County Jail in March, according to ABC7. One had been beaten to death.

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