COPA Confirms Officer Put Fist to Throat of Handcuffed Boy and Investigators Urge Firing Over Leave Violations

The oversight report deepens questions about Chicago police discipline as department lawyers continue to review a recommendation to dismiss the officer.

Overview

COPA’s newly released report found video evidence that Officer David Ross placed his fist against a handcuffed boy’s throat during a June 27, 2024 encounter and recommended up to a yearlong suspension.
Superintendent Larry Snelling imposed a six-month suspension for the choking incident while the city inspector general asked COPA to reopen the case to probe whether Ross filed a false report.
Internal investigators sustained five allegations that Ross violated CPD medical-leave rules after he passed a strenuous mounted-patrol test on April 28, 2023 while records show he was on leave for an 'unbearable' knee injury.
Investigators recommended Ross be fired for the leave violations, but police legal counsel are still reviewing that dismissal recommendation and Snelling has not filed formal charges.
Ross has been relieved of police powers and reassigned to the alternate response section for nearly two years, leaving at least four disciplinary matters unresolved and raising broader questions about how CPD and civilian overseers coordinate accountability.