‘Beat the — Out of You!’: Video of Chicago Cop Grabbing Teen By Neck and Forcefully Shoving Him at a School Ends His 30-Year Police Career
A veteran Chicago police officer can no longer return to law enforcement after he was charged for grabbing a teenage boy by the neck and shoving him outside an elementary school two years ago.
The Chicago Tribune reported that 56-year-old Craig Lancaster, who served with the city’s police department for nearly 30 years, agreed to voluntarily decertify as a police officer as part of his plea agreement.
Lancaster was charged with felony aggravated battery in November 2023, six months after he assaulted 14-year-old JaQuwaun Williams as the teen walked by an elementary school.
Local prosecutors did not start investigating the officer until after school surveillance video of the attack emerged.
The footage shows Williams merely walking past Lancaster when the off-duty cop, unprovoked, grabs the teen by the throat and forcefully shoves him, sending him stumbling backward. Williams backs away as Lancaster walks toward him, but a teacher intervenes and points the teen toward the school building. Williams then walks toward the building.
A lawsuit filed by Williams’ family stated that after the teacher separated the teen and the cop, Lancaster still followed Williams, stared him down, and threatened to “beat the f—” out of him.
Lancaster was reportedly on school grounds to drop off money for his girlfriend, a teacher who was directing students into the school.
When authorities began investigating the incident, Lancaster tried to paint the teen as a threat to other students lingering around the school.
“Officer Lancaster is a decorated Chicago police officer who was legally at the school when the minor child became a danger to the students and the staff,” Lancaster’s attorney, Tim Grace, wrote in a statement in November 2023. “He acted in a manner to protect the children and staff from a student who clearly was a threat to all present. He was acting within the scope of his duties as a law enforcement officer and acted in a manner that is consistent with the rules of the Chicago Police Department and laws of the state of Illinois.”
Lancaster was relieved of his police powers after authorities began officially investigating him.
He recently struck a plea deal with prosecutors that reduced his charge to misdemeanor disorderly conduct. In exchange, he must never return to police duty, serve 18 months’ supervision and undergo eight hours of anger management.
His attorney says he thought prosecutors went too far with initially charging him with a felony, but told the judge that Lancaster “accepts his responsibility for his role in this case.”
Lancaster’s 30-year police career began as a civilian employee overseeing the city’s transit systems. Records show that in his tenure, he’s faced 28 misconduct allegations, most of which were use-of-force complaints. He was accused twice in 2004 and 2006 of grabbing suspects by their neck or throat.
He was cleared in both those cases.
Only three of the complaints filed against him ended in disciplinary action. Two of those allegations included discharging a weapon while off duty and resulted in unpaid 30-day suspensions.