A pair of west suburban cemetery workers who were detained at the height of Operation Midway Blitz last fall have filed claims against the federal government, alleging they were arrested without probable cause.
Daniel Greer and Darren Eichler, who were detained while at work at Concordia Cemetery, are not suing the government but instead seeking compensation — $1 million each — under the Federal Tort Claims Act, which allows citizens to pursue compensation for wrongdoing by federal employees.
According to a news release from the ACLU of Illinois, which is representing Greer and Eichler, their claims are two of a group of 54 total claims filed nationwide by people who allegedly suffered harm at the hands of federal immigration agents. Representatives with the Department of Homeland Security didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
More Top Picks Steelseries Arctis Nova 1
According to Eichler and Greer’s claims, the men were doing maintenance with another co-worker along the bank of the Des Plaines River at the Forest Park cemetery early in the afternoon of Oct. 7 when they saw a man in the water. Thinking the man might be suicidal, they called out to him to ask if he was alright, the claims stated.
“Almost immediately, they were met with voices from on the other side of the water,” the news release said. The voices “told them to mind their own business, or they would be charged with a crime.”
According to the claim, the federal agents who were shouting from the other side of the river then crossed a footbridge into the cemetery. Greer and Eichler, along with their supervisor and co-worker, retreated into a locked area by the cemetery’s water intake building and told the agents they disapproved of their actions. Their supervisor began videotaping the agents, who allegedly cut the padlock on the gate, tackled both Greer and Eichler, sprayed them with chemical munitions and restrained them.
Greer sat zip-tied on the ground for an hour before the agents drove him to a Department of Homeland Security building in Lombard, where he was held for the rest of the afternoon without explanation, his claim stated. On his release, the claim alleged he was “handed paperwork stating that he had been arrested for allegedly assaulting or resisting an officer.”
“This allegation was false,” the claim continued. “Mr. Greer had not assaulted any officer, nor resisted arrest. In fact, it was the DHS agents who cut through a locked gate in order to attack Mr. Greer.”
Eichler’s claim states that he asked agents to call an ambulance because he was having chest pain and lightheadedness following his arrest and the alleged use of chemical munitions, as well as burning eyes and difficulty breathing.
After about an hour, the claim states that the agents did call for an ambulance, which brought him to Rush Oak Park Hospital for treatment. The agents then told hospital staff Eichler was free to go once medically cleared, but forgot to take off his handcuffs until a nurse brought them back to the treatment area to do so.
Neither man was charged with a crime, their claims state. Eichler had to retrieve his phone, keys and other personal items from the DHS facility in Lombard the next day, but found his charger and other sentimental items were missing.
Both men needed follow-up medical attention and sought counseling in the months that followed the arrests, their claims state.
In the news release announcing their claims, Eichler said the push for compensation was “about the kind of country we choose to be.”
More Top Picks Best Premium Hobby Knives For Model Making
“No one should lose their dignity the moment they come face to face with those who hold power,” he said.