Officer Christopher Darr indicted in January beating of suspect

An Elgin police officer accused of beating a suspect while off duty on New Year's Day was indicted Tuesday on battery charges, authorities said.

Officer Christopher Darr, who had been on restricted duty since January, was indicted by a Kane County grand jury on two felony counts of battery, special prosecutor Charles Colburn said.

Darr, an officer since 2001, was placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the criminal charges, a police spokeswoman said.

Darr is accused of beating Kevin Schwartz, 29, of South Elgin, one of the suspects charged in a brawl during the early hours of Jan. 1 at the Holiday Inn in Elgin. Darr's father, Jack, a hotel security officer and a retired Elgin deputy police chief, suffered broken ribs, a punctured lung and cuts when he tried to break up the fight, police said.

Police stopped Schwartz a short time later on Illinois Highway 31. Officer Christopher Darr is accused of going to the scene.

"He is not alleged to have been on duty at the time," said Colburn, of the state appellate prosecutor's office, which handled the investigation at the request of State's Atty. John Barsanti.

A lawyer for Schwartz has said the attack on his client "had nothing to do with what happened at the hotel." He said Schwartz had been handcuffed with his hands behind his back before and during the beating in the back of a police car.

The lawyer, Michael D. Oppenheimer, said Tuesday that he expects to file a lawsuit against Darr and the Elgin Police Department.

"Obviously, a grand jury has spoken," Oppenheimer said. "They heard the facts and decided he should be indicted."

Bail for Darr was set at $5,000. He is to appear for a hearing April 18.

Elgin Police Chief Lisa Womack declined to comment on the charges against Darr. She said the police internal affairs division will investigate whether Darr violated any of the department's regulations or policies.

Eight other people have been charged in the hotel brawl at 495 Airport Rd.

According to another paper:

"Darr was accused of stopping a car on New Year's Day on Illinois Highway 31 and beating Kevin Schwartz, 29, of South Elgin. Schwartz is one of the suspects charged in a New Year's Eve brawl at the Holiday Inn in Elgin that injured Darr's father, Jack, a hotel security officer and a retired Elgin deputy police chief. A lawyer for Schwartz has said the attack on his client "had nothing to do with what happened at the hotel." He said Schwartz had been handcuffed with hands behind his back before and during the beating."

So it doesn't look as though he was protecting his father but perhaps seeking revenge. Understandable maybe, but not acceptable for a law officer. Unfortunately, this opens the city of Elgin up to a lawsuit.