Family of Irene Chavez, woman who died in Chicago police custody, files lawsuit
CHICAGO - The family of a woman who died in police custody has now filed a lawsuit against the Chicago Police Department.
Irene Chavez was arrested for assaulting a bouncer on Dec. 18 in South Shore last year. That same night, she hanged herself in a police holding cell.
On Tuesday, her family filed a federal lawsuit claiming police ignored her pleas for help and failed to get her mental health assistance.
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Body camera footage from the incident showed Chavez repeatedly told officers she was a veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. She also told officers she was an alcoholic in the middle of a relapse.
Despite this, her family said Chavez was taunted by police, placed alone in a cell and ignored until it was too late.
"Irene died because CPD officers refused to recognize her humanity, refused to accommodate her mental illness and refused to treat her as if her life mattered," said Sheila Bedi, an attorney for the Chavez family.
The Chicago Police Department had previously said they took Chavez's belt and shoe laces and handcuffed her to a bench when they put her in a lockup.
The department said it will not comment on pending lawsuits.