Robbins Mayor Darren Bryant said a Cook County judge on Tuesday dismissed traffic citations brought against him, two months after Calumet Park police stopped Bryant for making an illegal turn, leading to a confrontation when he refused to show his license and proof of insurance.
Bryant, who previously told the Daily Southtown he wanted to know why he was pulled over before handing over his driver’s license and registration, was stopped May 15 and charged on June 30 with disobeying a traffic control device, not having proof of insurance and obstructing a police officer.
The latter charge was ultimately dropped before Judge Erin H. Antonietti dismissed the other two traffic citations, according to Cook County court filings listing the case as closed and confirmed Wednesday by a circuit court spokesperson.
But Felicia Frazier, of the Evergreen Park-based firm Odelson, Murphey, Frazier and McGrath, representing Calumet Park, said Wednesday afternoon she tried to attend the hearing but was told it was going to be rescheduled. She said she hadn’t heard the traffic citations were dismissed.
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Bryant said Antonietti agreed to drop the citations after he showed her proof of vehicle insurance.
“We provided what we needed to, and they dismissed it,” he said. “I know there wasn’t anyone from Cal Park there.”
While Bryant called the May 15 arrest unlawful, Calumet Park attorney Burt Odelson in May defended the officers’ actions, saying Bryant made an illegal turn and refused to give officers his license and proof of insurance after the officers asked at least 10 times.
“It don’t got to be more than what it is,” an officer told Bryant when asking him to comply, according to body camera footage.
Bryant said he did have proof of insurance but took issue with the officers failing to inform him why he they pulled him over after he repeatedly asked for details. He said following the stop, he spoke with officials in Springfield and lobbyists about introducing legislation that would require officers to inform people why they are pulled over.
“Imagine if someone told you to come here and you didn’t know what they were saying come here for,” he told the Southtown in May. “Imagine if somebody was telling you to do something and you were still confused on how I’m even in this moment. I think understanding needs to be the core of anything.”