Authorities are investigating what happened when a family's West Side home was unexpectedly raided by police Thursday in what the department now says was a mistake.
The Franklin family said they were jolted awake when they heard a banging on their front door around 6 a.m. Thursday in in the 2700 block of West Flournoy Street in the city’s Lawndale neighborhood.
“They had on plain clothes, no badges,” Ashanti Franklin told NBC 5. “I said, ‘I cannot open my door because I don’t know who you are.’ He said, ‘I am going to kick your door in. I said, ‘You have to do what you have to do.’”
Franklin said she then asked for a search warrant, which she was never provided with.
That’s when the Franklins said six men suddenly entered their home saying they were searching for a man the family says they have never heard of.
The search went on for nearly 20 minutes, with the men even waking up the couple’s 12-year-old son as slept in his room, the family said.
“Then you wake my son up with a gun and flashing lights in his head,” Romell Franklin Sr. said. “He’s 12. You can scare him. You can’t do that kind of stuff.”
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The men ultimately left empty-handed and the Franklins said they were left with no explanation and a damaged front door.
“I work, my wife works,” Romell Franklin said. “I’m no street punk or peasant. You can’t do that. You treated me like I was a nobody. You can’t do that. I’m a man just like you are.”
Chicago police later said the Franklins home was in fact searched by mistake.
"After entry was made into the residence, officers learned that they had entered the wrong location," police said in a statement. "The subject of the warrant was subsequently arrested in a neighboring residence in the same apartment building and the Chicago Police Department is actively working with the affected family, as well as the City of Chicago, to repair a door that was damaged during the incident."
The family said the men claimed they worked with the FBI, but the FBI in Chicago said they were not a part of the search.
Dispatch recordings from Thursday morning appear to indicate officers executing multiple search warrants just blocks apart from the Franklins' home.
While it now appears the search was conducted by Chicago police, the FBI in Chicago recommends anyone who believes they have been approached by someone impersonating an agent do the following:
1. Ask to see both the agent’s badge and credentials, the credentials should have the Agent’s name, and photo.
2. Ask for a business card (cards vary but only specific vendors are authorized to replicate the FBI seal or FBI badge.)
3. Call the main FBI Chicago (Chicago Operations Center) line 312-421-6700, and ask to be transferred to the Agent’s cell phone.
“If the name you provide is not the name of an Agent in the Chicago Division, the Chicago Operations Center will inform you the individual is not an employee,” John Althen with the FBI in Chicago said. “Since it is also possible someone could be using the name of an actual Agent, having the call routed to the Agent will ensure the individual in front of you is the authentic Agent.”
If the person is not an agent, the department recommends filing a complaint.
“An authentic FBI Special Agent will not have an issue with someone verifying their identity,” Althen said.
