According to the lawsuit, when police arrived, Lark and two of her adult children told officers that the argument was resolved and asked them to leave.

They also told officers “that their family dog was in the basement,” where he was tied to a pole as he dried off following a bath, according to the lawsuit. Chance was a two-year old German Shepherd that the family received as a gift from his breeder.

While speaking with two officers in the kitchen, two other officers began to search the property. One opened the basement door with his gun drawn and shot Chance five times, according to the lawsuit

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An Evanston 12-year-old was arrested, put in a police wagon and taken to the police station after officers saw him riding on the back of a bicycle that went through a red light, the boy’s father said.

“I realize and recognize we need police. But why are we arresting a 12-year old?” said Robert Bady, whose son, Iain, 12, was arrested in downtown Evanston after riding on the back pegs of his friend’s BMX bike July 14.

Bady spoke at the Evanston City Council meeting Aug. 14, telling aldermen he was upset his son, who is African-American, faced such serious consequences over something so minor.

“What did he do that was so egregious?” asked Bady.

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Evanston police were seven times more likely to search a black driver than a white one in 2014, according to a recent study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The study, which analyzed traffic stops from 132 police agencies across 16 states, found that Evanston police consistently had the highest black to white search ratio of any other department. Evanston police in 2009 were also roughly 11 times more likely to search a Hispanic driver than a white one.

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Two Evanston police officers are on leave and the department has launched an internal investigation after a 24-year-old African-American man was arrested Sunday while collecting signatures to run for local public office, according to Evanston Police Cmdr. Joseph Dugan.

Devon Reid, 24, was in the 1700 block of Sherman Avenue in downtown Evanston when he was stopped just after 5:30 p.m., Dugan said.

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