An incident caught on video and posted by a motorcycle group called Chicago United Riders shows a Chicago police officer throwing a cup of coffee at a passing motorcyclist after the biker shouted at the cop while massing him with a motorcycle group on a downtown street.
Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson did not defend the officer’s actions or make excuses for the officer’s actions after watching the 40-second video. The police officer was not immediately identified.
“We expect every officer to be professional (and) treat people fairly and responsibly. So to that end we’ll have an investigation, an investigation has been opened up, and when it comes down to it, that officer will be held accountable and will be disciplined appropriately.”
— Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson
The video, which appears to be captured from a helmetcam, shows a group of bikers riding east on Hubbard Street toward State Street. Initially the pack is seen showboating and driving recklessly for a busy Chicago street. The leader of the group, in front of the biker with the camera that later is hit with coffee, is captured on video doing a wheelie.
The rider capturing the video raises his left hand and shouts something at an officer as he is approaching the officer. The police officer is crossing the street, but standing on the other side of a solid yellow line. The shout from the motorcyclist doesn’t sound antagonizing, but the CPD officer then throws a cup of coffee at the rider.
The coffee cup hits biker’s handlebars, and some coffee hits the camera lense. The rider later shouts back, “I got you on camera, bro!”
The same riding group was involved in a physical altercation in Aurora last summer that led to a pickup truck driving through a crowd of motorcyclists at an annual ride and competition.
That incident on July 30, 2016, was also captured on video. According to Aurora police, a biker blocked a squad car from moving after the officer attempted to pull riders over for reckless driving and disobeying traffic signals.
As the group of riders continued, they encountered the pickup truck driver, who tried changing lanes to yield to the motorcycles, according to police.
The bikers surrounded the truck, and one of the riders punched the driver through an open window. The truck driver returned blows and the pickup truck hit a biker when the driver tried to escape into a grassy area. The biker refused medical treatment.
A video shows the truck driver backing up after he broke free of the group of bikers with his truck.