Chicago PD officer fired after being filmed stomping man’s head

An unnamed Chicago police officer has been relieved of his duties after a video depicting him stomping on a man’s head during an arrest was recently uploaded. The incident is still under investigation.

Video of the attack was uploaded Monday and officials made the announcement Tuesday.

Chicago Police Department announced that the police officer filmed assaulting a man during an arrest has been let go, Reuters reported. In addition, the incident is currently under investigation by the Independent Police Review Authority (IPRA).

"After careful consideration and reviewing the video footage, Superintendent (Eddie) Johnson has decided to relieve one of the officers involved in the incident," police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in an e-mailed statement to Reuters.

The video was posted by Terrance Hobson, a bystander on Monday who was one of several witnesses to the incident. The man beaten in the video was identified as Shaquille O'Neil.

O’Neil, 24, was allegedly fleeing police. The video shows him struggling under a plainclothes officer who is attempting to arrest him. A uniformed officer then approaches and stomps down on his head.

Hobson told NBC Chicago, “The officer came over there and kicked him in the face.”

Dre Powell, another witness, told local NBC-affiliate WMAQ: “He was running from police, they had him face down on the ground,” when police “[s]tarted whopping him.”

Lenell White also saw what happened and told local ABC-affiliate WLS that O’Neill "lost consciousness, he stopped moving for like 25 or 30 minutes," adding: "It looked like he was passing away."

O’Neill was identified by his family members and received treatment at Mount Sinai Hospital. He has since been discharged.

The decision to relieve the officer of his duties could be a sea change for the Chicago Police Department. Earlier this month, IPRA released more than 300 pieces of footage related to various excessive force investigations.