Salon Releases Surveillance Video to Bolster Police Abuse Case

Video recorded at the Copper Tan and Spa on July 31, 2013 during a police raid

Video that includes racially-charged comments from a Chicago police officer to a salon manager is part of a lawsuit filed against the department last week.

The surveillance video from the Copper Tan and Spa, on the 1000 block of North Milwaukee in the city's Noble Square neighborhood, was recorded July 31 of last year, according to a timestamp on the footage. It was released to NBC 5 on Monday.

The incident stemmed from a reported raid on the business after an undercover officer was allegedly offered a sex act by a massage therapist. In the video, officers are seen entering the spa and attempting to detain the salon's manager, Jianqing "Jessica" Klyzek.

"You’re not f****** American," one police officer is heard on the video yelling to Klyzek. "I’ll put you in a UPS box and send you back to wherever the f*** you came from."

"I’m a citizen, OK?" Klyzek responded.

"No you’re not! No, you’re not a citizen! No, you’re not! No, you’re not! You’re here on our borrowed time," the officer said. "So mind your f****** business before I shut this whole f****** place down. And I’ll take this place and then whoever owns it will f****** kill you because they don’t care about you, OK? I’ll take this building. You’ll be dead and your family will be dead."

Klyzek's lawyer, Torreya Hamilton, says her client was also physically abused.

"One of the police officers strikes her in the head from behind while she's handcuffed behind her back and subdued," Hamilton said. "They are treating her like she is less than a human being."

Klyzek was twice charged with aggravated battery to the officers but the charges were dropped both times, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

The federal lawsuit said officers in the video could be seen attempting to locate the footage recorded by the camera but were unable to because it was recorded off-site.

Police spokesman Adam Collins issued the following statement Monday.

"The alleged conduct and comments are reprehensible and completely intolerable in our police department. We have codes of conduct that apply to officers and if the allegations are proven accurate, appropriate action will be taken."

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