Chicago Police

New Video Shows Moment CPD Officer Hit Woman with SUV, Pinning Her Leg Under Tire

The unredacted video was ordered released by a judge last year, roughly one year after an activist filed a public records request

Newly-released video shows what happened when an on-duty Chicago police officer struck a woman with his SUV in 2019, pinning her leg under a tire for several minutes.

The footage, which was released Tuesday, shows the moments leading up to and after Martina Standley was hit by a police SUV on Nov. 13, 2019 in the 2000 block of East 71st Street.

In the footage, Standley can be seen putting her hands on the hood of the police vehicle from the passenger side as the officer appears to briefly accelerate, sending Standley to the ground.

"Girl ain't nobody hit you like that," the officer is heard saying as he walks around the vehicle before he discovers her unconscious with her leg stuck under the tire.

The officer then calls for assistance, and begins asking Standley if she is OK.

For the next several minutes, Standley remains on the ground with her leg under the tire. The officer says in the footage he is unsure if he should move the vehicle and can be heard telling other officers he thought he put the vehicle in reverse and that it was an "accident."

"She came banging on the window - It was not like no one was running from nobody or nothing like that," the officer says.

The unredacted video was ordered released by a judge last year, roughly one year after activist William Calloway filed a public records request shortly after the incident took place.

"I watched the video and knew right away that the public needed to see what happened," Calloway said.

Chicago's Civlian Office of Police Accountability said it opened an investigation into the incident on Nov. 21, 2019 but did not release the footage because "officers were not engaged in police action and the incident did not involve a use of force."

"COPA is committed to a full and thorough investigation of this incident and actively investigating to determine if officers were engaged in misconduct and/or other administrative violations including inattentive to duties," the office said in a statement, noting that the investigation remained ongoing.

Police at the time said officials had spoken to Standley just moments before the incident occurred. As the officers pulled away, Standley’s right leg became stuck under a wheel on the passenger side of the vehicle.

"COPA's Summary Report of Investigation regarding this incident will be publicly posted on COPA's website upon conclusion of the investigation, following the Department's review and, if applicable, the serving of any resulting disciplinary charges against involved officers," the department said in a statement Tuesday.

Standley's family filed a lawsuit after the incident claiming the officer recklessly turned his police car and ran her over, causing her to suffer a traumatic brain injury.

The family says Standley “attempted to communicate” with officers inside the SUV, when the officer behind the wheel accelerated from a parked position and turned into her.

Standley ended up hitting her head on the pavement, and her leg was pinned under the squad car shortly before being rushed to the University of Chicago Medical Center. Her attorney said she suffered a brain injury and still cannot remember what happened.

"The video speaks for itself and I hope [Mayor Lori Lightfoot] watches it. I would hope Superintendent [David] Brown would watch," said Attorney Andrew M. Stroth. "I don't think they train officer to run over unarmed civilians presenting zero threat."

The video's release comes on the heels of the release of a botched CPD raid in which a woman was handcuffed naked as officer mistakenly searched the wrong address. The footage has sparked outcry and backlash as the police department and Lightfoot continue to respond.

Lightfoot said Tuesday she had not yet seen the video of Standley.

"I cannot comment on something I have not seen, but I will look into it," she said.

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