ROCK ISLAND, Illinois -- Rock Island County and Illinois law enforcement officials are responding to a lawsuit from the ACLU accusing sheriff's deputies and police officers of using excessive force against an Eastern Illinois University student.
EIU swim team member Jaylan Butler says he was singled out by police as the team's bus was stopped at an I-80 rest area near Hampton, Illinois on Feb. 24th, 2019.
Police were in the area looking for a suspect in a nearby shooting.
Rock Island County Sheriff Gerald Bustos says his office wasn't aware of any incident or use of force until his deputies and officers from the Hampton and East Moline Police Departments were named in the ACLU lawsuit.
Bustos says Bulter had already been detained by other police officers on the bus when his deputies arrived on the scene. He says the deputies had just a brief interaction with Butler.
Bustos says he thinks the allegations against the deputies is without merit.
The Office of the Illinois State's Attorney says while an initial examination of the incident doesn't show any evidence of wrongdoing by the deputies, a more in-depth investigation is going on.
State's Attorney Dora Villareal says accusations of racial profiling and use of excessive force are taken seriously.