The Right to Remain Afraid

The spirit of Al Capone is still alive and well in Chicago. Unfortunately, nowadays it can be found in the Chicago Police Department instead of the mob.

...CBS 2 Chicago reports the following:

A woman was injured during a frightening attack and it was all caught on tape. The attacker was an off-duty Chicago police officer who has now been charged. CBS 2 Investigator Dave Savini reports.

Shocking surveillance video shows off-duty Chicago police officer Anthony Abbate, 38, a 12-year veteran of the force, brutally beating a female bartender.

[…]

“He was drunk in a bar. She refused to serve him anymore so he went behind the bar and threw her around like a sack of potatoes,” said Attorney Terry Ekl who represents the alleged victim.

...As if that weren’t bad enough, here’s something even scarier:

“The Chicago Police Department made a unilateral decision that they were going to charge him only with a misdemeanor without telling the State's Attorney’s Office,” said Ekl.

But prosecutors took over and filed felony aggravated battery charges.

...Abbate is caught on tape savagely beating a woman and Chicago’s so-called finest view it as nothing more than a misdemeanor? I wish that that were the end of it, but there’s more:

Prosecutors are investigating adding possible obstruction of justice and intimidating a witness charges.

“Another individual came in moments after the attack and attempted to offer the victim money in order for her not to prosecute the defendant,” Navarro said.

The February attack, caught on the Tavern’s surveillance camera, was Abbatte’s second assault of the evening, say prosecutors.

[…]

Abbatte is no stranger to drunken behavior.

He was one of 100 Chicago police officers who had been hired despite having prior drug or alcohol related driving offenses.

Abbate had also been arrested for drag racing and driving on a suspended license.

...The only difference between the Chicago Police Department and common criminals is that one party poses a threat to the public while the other party doesn’t wear badges.

Reference
▪ CBS 2 Chicago