Two brothers who work at a liquor store on Chicago’s Southwest Side filed a federal lawsuit today alleging they were beaten by Chicago police officers as they left the store last month.The officers handcuffed and questioned Michael and Adrian Ayala as they left 7-9-11 Food & Liquor, 4848 S. Archer Ave., on Aug. 17, according to the lawsuit.
The men asked why they were being arrested, but the officers beat them after Michael Ayala told them the incident had been filmed by surveillance cameras and that it wasn’t over, according to the lawsuit.
The next day, Michael Ayala told several media outlets that he and his brother hadn’t provoked the officers and that the officers mistook them for robbers. The officers are not named in the lawsuit.
A Chicago police spokeswoman said the Independent Police Review Authority is investigating, and declined further comment. Officials with IPRA and the city’s Law Department could not be reached.
