(East Moline, IL) — The Governor of Illinois is calling for a probe into the East Moline police department, following a lawsuit from a black college student who says he was wrongfully profiled and arrested. The suit was filed last week by Jaylan Butler, a student and swimmer at Eastern Illinois University. Butler claims when his team’s bus was pulled over last year, he was the only African American onboard and was slammed to the ground at gunpoint and handcuffed. He says as officers put their knees into his back and neck, another shouted they’d blow the then 19-year-old’s head off if he moved. Butler says officers later realized he was not the shooting suspect they were searching for, but still contemplated charging him with resisting arrest. While the Rock Island County Sheriff’s office and East Moline PD deny Butler’s accusations, Governor J.B. Pritzker says he is deeply troubled by Butler’s story, adding too many young people of color feel unsafe or disrespected in Illinois.
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Madelaine Braggs/jas
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