Family claims Chicago police raided wrong home, pointed guns at children

The parents of two Chicago boys claim their children have been severely traumatized by a police raid of the wrong apartment.

The parents say police pointed guns at the children and that the abuse continued, even after police knew they were in the wrong apartment.

“I was ordered and instructed to get to the floor, with my face down, so the whole time I was down, I could see, but it was a lot,” said father Gilbert Mendez.

Mendez says he and his wife had no clue what was happening last November 7th when around 6 pm, Chicago police officers -- guns drawn -- smashed in his door and began shouting and swearing. Officers handcuffed him and pinned him to the floor. He says his two sons, ages five and nine, were terrified.

“For approximately 90 minutes, Jack and Peter were terrified, crying and pleading with officers not to kill their father,” said attorney Al Hofeld Jr.

In a lawsuit, Mendez claims an informant told police there was drug dealing on the second floor of the three flat. He says that before getting a search warrant, police never verified the apartment number. Turns out, the suspects were allegedly on the third floor. But the family claims the police abuse went far beyond raiding the wrong apartment.

“What are you doing, pointing guns at innocent young children? Wake up! We can't have a city in which hard working, law-abiding families with young children are terrorized by the police,” Hofeld Jr. said.

The family attorneys say that now, nine months later, the children are still traumatized by what they witnessed.

“Whenever either of the boys sees a police officer, or a police car, hears a siren, they're overcome with feelings of anxiety and fear and they relive their memories of this event,” Hofeld said.

The city law department says it won't discuss the lawsuit because it is pending litigation.