Lawsuit accuses cop of attacking Chicago lesbians

Three women filed a federal lawsuit on Sept. 26 claiming they were physically assaulted and verbally attacked with hate messages during an altercation following this summer's gay pride in Chicago. The suit says the attack occurred on June 24 on the Stevenson Expressway and names Chicago Police officer William Szura. Kelly Fuery, Debra Sciortino and Nicole Tomaskovic say in court papers that they were driving home after attending the gay Pride Parade in Chicago when the trouble began. Their lawsuit alleges that Szura ran their car off the road when the driver honked her horn at him for driving too slowly. The women's suit alleges that Szura then attacked the women shouting slurs about their "sexual orientation'' and that the assault was a hate crime. According to the lawsuit Szura, who was off-duty at the time, punched one woman and shoved a gun into the stomach of another. During the incident he allegedly referred to them as dykes and bitches. The suit also alleges that after one of the women called 911 for help, Illinois state troopers who responded charged the women with battery but would not investigate Szura after learning he was a cop. The lawsuit also names two State Troopers. It accuses Szura and the troopers of false arrest, excessive force, conspiracy in not reporting police misconduct and a hate crime. The Chicago Police Department said that Szura remains on duty while the matter is being investigated.