State police probe beating complaint against East St. Louis cop, refer questions to FBI
The East St. Louis Police Department has finished its investigation into allegations that an officer beat a former Belleville man but won’t release the results until the Illinois State Police concludes its own probe, a city spokeswoman said Friday.
The state police referred a BND reporter’s questions to the FBI’s Springfield office. The state agency said in an email that it’s only assisting, but would not immediately confirm if the FBI is handling the investigation for the Illinois State Police.
“The FBI is aware of the incident, but per policy does not confirm or deny the existence of an investigation,” said Rebecca Cramblit, public affairs specialist for FBI Springfield, on Friday.
Jaylen Lacey, 22, filed a complaint against the East St. Louis Police Department, saying that an officer beat him on March 14. Lacey said he required medical treatment, including stitches.
On March 17, East St. Louis Police Chief Kendall Perry and City Manager Carlos Mayfield announced that the police department was investigating allegations that at least one of two officers used excessive force during a March 14 arrest.
“The investigation will take into account all evidence and testimony from the citizens involved, as well as feedback from any witnesses to the arrest,” the March 17 release stated. “Our office takes matters such as this very seriously, and when the internal investigation concludes, we will provide evidence and an additional statement to the public.”
Sarah Joshway, the city’s press secretary, said Friday the East St. Louis Police Department’s investigation concluded on Monday. She would not answer questions about the names of the officers, whether they’re still working with the department and if they’re facing any disciplinary action.
Joshway did confirm that the East St. Louis Police Department does not have body cameras for officers nor dash cameras for police cars and did not have them at the time of the incident. She said the city is working on securing funding for cameras.
Joshway did say the city would comment further on its own investigation once the other investigation is completed.
Details of alleged beating
Lacey, who now lives in Fairview Heights, filed his complaint against the police department on March 18.
Here’s the account of what happened, based on his complaint and interviews with the BND:
Lacey said he was sitting in the passenger seat of a white Jeep Cherokee SRT with friends on Monday, March 14. He said the car was parked outside of Pop’s, an East St. Louis liquor store, where he and witnesses said they were meeting with other friends.
Lacey said that around 2:30 p.m., an unmarked Dodge Charger parked on the driver’s side of the Jeep. He said neither he nor anyone else in the Jeep knew it was the police because the car didn’t have any lights and the officer didn’t identify himself.
Feeling concerned, the driver of the Jeep started to leave the parking lot of Pop’s, according to the complaint. Then, another unmarked Dodge Charger struck the passenger side of the Jeep, pushing it into oncoming traffic and hitting its rear tire, according to the complaint.
The Jeep was able to come to a complete stop after the collision with the unmarked car then made a right turn on 88th Street, Lacey wrote in the complaint.
The unmarked car drove into the other lane of the street when Lacey and his friend in the driver’s seat noticed a marked police car, so they decided to pull over, according to the complaint. That’s when the officer in the marked police car approached the driver’s side of the Jeep and pulled the driver out of the vehicle, Lacey wrote in the complaint.
Lacey said in the complaint the officer in the unmarked vehicle went to the passenger’s side of the Jeep with a gun pointed at Lacey through the front glass. Lacey said he had his hands up when the officer opened his door. Lacey said the officer began to punch him repeatedly with his right fist and eventually laid on top of him while elbowing him in the head. He said the officer wasn’t wearing a police uniform nor a badge.
“I could see blood dripping from my head falling into the seat of the console,” Lacey wrote in the complaint.
Lacey said he didn’t learn of why he and his friend were being arrested until he was in a cop car that took them to the East St. Louis Police Department’s holding cell. He said they were told they were drag racing in the area, a claim that he and witnesses deny.
The driver, who didn’t want to be interviewed by the BND until he talks to his lawyer, and Lacey were taken to East St. Louis’ holding cell.
Lacey said in an interview that his requests for medical attention were ignored. Lacey said he was feeling nauseous and dizzy because of his injuries that went untreated until his mom pleaded with officers to take him to the hospital. He was eventually taken to Touchette Regional Hospital in Cahokia Heights and later returned to the holding cell.
‘It’s still stressful’
Lacey was released from the holding cell on March 15. As of Friday, he had not been charged with anything, according to his mom, Patricia Lacey.
“I can barely see out of my left eye,” Jaylen said in an interview with the BND last month. “I have a headache. My breathing has been way louder because they broke my nose. They almost fractured my jaw. I needed stitches in my left eyebrow. I needed stitches along my nose too.”
Patrcia Lacey said she hasn’t heard anything from the police or other agencies since her son filed the complaint. She said neither she nor her son have been asked to be involved in any investigation. She said she plans to follow up on the case soon.
“I’m hoping that they’re working on it and not pushing it to the bottom of the pile, but I don’t know,” Patricia said on Friday.
Patricia said her son still has trouble breathing and sleeping since the incident, but she said he’s making progress.
“It’s still stressful,” Patricia, 41, said. “It’s still day-to-day. I’m thankful that his face is starting to look a little better, and it’s getting there. We’re just healing and just trying to get through….It’s just hard seeing your son go through that because he doesn’t deserve that.”
This story was originally published April 1, 2022 at 3:57 PM.
