Illinois police chief's cop son, 31, is charged with assault after 'slamming a 66-year-old woman's head repeatedly into a wall' at his precinct
An Illinois cop, who is also the police chief's son, has been charged after he allegedly slammed a 66-year-old woman's face into a wall and dragged her through the precinct as he was arresting her.
Ronald Burge, Jr., a 31-year-old commander with the Dixmoor Police Department, is charged with aggravated battery and official misconduct over the incident at his police station in October.
Prosecutors say Burge Jr. attacked Carla Bourgouis after she came to the police station and got into an argument with officers about the arrest of her grandson.
She started taking photos as her grandson was being taken into custody and refused to hand over her cell phone when Burge Jr. demanded it.
Surveillance footage showed Burge Jr. chasing after Bourgouis as she ran out of the station and across the street with her cell phone.
Prosecutors with the Cook County State's Attorney's Office say Burge Jr. had his gun in his hand as he grabbed hold of the woman and had his arm across her chest and neck.
Burge Jr., who is 6-foot-3, then allegedly dragged a 5-foot-3 Bourgouis back inside the station and, at times, her feet were dangling off the ground.
The officer allegedly handed his gun to a colleague back inside the station before he slammed Bourgouis' face into a hallway wall three times.
Prosecutors say Burge Jr. attacked Carla Bourgouis after she came to the police station and got into an argument with officers about the arrest of her grandson. Surveillance showed her in the doorway taking photos as her grandson (in white shirt) was being arrested
Surveillance footage showed Burge Jr. chasing after Bourgouis as she ran out of the station and across the street with her cell phone
Video courtesy of WGNTV
He is also accused of shoving her into a counter despite prosecutors saying she was showing no resistance.
'He hit my head against a brick outside the village and then he took me inside the village hall and then bumped my head several times,' Bourgouis told CBS2.
'I thought I was going to lose it... I thought I was going to pass out.'
Bourgouis was subsequently put in a holding cell for 11 hours before being charged with the misdemeanor offense of resisting an officer.
Prosecutors eventually dismissed the charge against her.
Burge Jr. handed himself in on Tuesday after the state's attorney's office issued a warrant for his arrest.
His father, Dixmoor Police Chief Ronald Burge, slammed the charges and claims his son is the victim of a politically-motivated attack.
The police department has since released portions of the surveillance footage from the station that Burge Sr. says proves his son was not in the wrong.
Burge Sr. accused the attorney's office of not being truthful.
The police chief said his officers had earlier been called out to a fight between about eight of Bourgouis' family members at a home that had spilled out onto the street.
He said several family members were taken to the station and Bourgouis' grandson was charged.
Bourgouis claims the officer slammed her face into a wall and dragged her through the precinct as he was arresting her. She took the above photos of her injuries after the ordeal
His father, Dixmoor Police Chief Ronald Burge, slammed the charges and claims his son is the victim of a politically-motivated attack. He said he stands by his son 100 percent
Burge Sr. said Bourgouis became 'very belligerent' and surveillance video showed her trying to enter a restricted area within the station to take photos after her grandson was led away by officers.
'As he entered the station, she grabbed the door… attempted to enter the station. He turned around and stated: 'What are you doing here? You're not supposed to be in here. You're under arrest',' Burge Sr. said of the incident.
'When he proceeded to turn around, she ran out of the station. He followed her. Her family members followed him. The officers in the station realized there was something going on and they ended up across the street in the parking lot.'
The police chief claims Bourgouis grabbed his son's 'private parts and refused to let go'.
'At that point, he picked her up, because at that level, she's causing damage,' Burge Sr. said, adding that his son did have his gun drawn because her family members were coming towards him.
Burge Sr. confirmed that there was a struggle inside the station.
'He was attempting to hold her against the wall. He had his arm on the wall. Her head hits the wall; he doesn't slam her into the wall,' he said.
'To be clear, I stand by my son 100 percent.
'I'm very proud of my son and I think it is unfair for someone to attack someone's character and their career over something that is not true.'
Burge Jr. was hired in June 2017 as a part-time officer before taking on a full-time position in the November.
Prosecutors say he was promoted to a commander rank a month later.
Burge Jr. is being held in lieu of $20,000 bail for aggravated battery and official misconduct.
