Chicago fire captain accused of pushing marine unit cop to ground at water rescue scene. Investigation underway
Read police perspective on this story from the blog Second City Cop on 11/3 (with more than 400 comments), 11/11 & 11/15
The scene was a rescue call on November 1 for two men who had fallen into the river near Goose Island. The men were pulled from the water but not before an apparent scuffle between a Chicago Fire Department captain and a Chicago police officer who is assigned to the marine unit.
CFD spokesman Larry Langford told the Chicago Tribune that an active investigation is in progress. The paper points out this probe is underway at the same time fire department brass is moving into new office space at police headquarters.
Sources say the police officer had responded by boat to the call. The officer identified himself as a marine unit officer, and the fire captain allegedly grabbed him by the front of his uniform and threw him to the ground, shouting obscenities and saying the rescue was a Fire Department operation, according to one source.
The police officer reported back to his commander, and the fire captain was taken away from the scene by other fire officials, sources said. The officer has since complained of numbness in his hands.
One source said the fire captain was upset the police officer was not wearing a life preserver and told him to "get out of here."
