Chicago police officer Evan Solano who shot and killed 22-year-old Anthony Alvarez in March is being investigated for pulling out his gun on a driver during a road rage incident at Logan Square last week.
The incident, which took place at approximately 6 p.m. on Friday, May 21, was captured on video by several bystanders. Police officials said the department is investigating. Sources confirmed to Block Club Chicago that the officer involved is Solano.
A series of videos taken by witnesses from multiple angles show an escalating traffic dispute, with the driver of a white SUV getting out of his car and arguing with Solano, who was behind the wheel of his red Ford mustang. The videos later show Solano, dressed in his police uniform, out of his car, confronting the SUV driver with his gun drawn.
'I'll Rip You Out of the F*cking Car'
The argument started after the SUV driver partially blocked the intersection as he tried to turn, according to one of the eyewitnesses. Frustrated, Solano kept honking his horn, prompting the driver to get out to confront him and a screaming match ensues.
In one of the videos captured by a woman walking her dog, the SUV driver can be seen standing outside Solano's driver's side window shouting, "Take your f*cking car and back the f*ck up! If you can't do it, I'll do it for you! I'm not in two lanes, I'm in one lane!"
"You pissed the wrong mother*cker off," the driver says in another clip. "I'll rip you out of the f*cking car."
'You Threatened Me With That Knife'
In videos shot by other witnesses, Solano is seen getting out of his car with his gun drawn as the SUV driver backs away with his hands up
Solano is later seen out of his car with his gun drawn, prompting the driver of the white SUV to back away with his hands up, videos show.
The driver can be heard saying, "Dude, I have no weapon. I did not touch you!"
Solano yells back, "You threatened me with that knife!"
The driver replies, "No, I did not!"
Sanchez, an eyewitness claims the driver had a knife attached to his leg but did not remove it or reference it at any point during the argument.
The driver then tells Solano, "I did not threaten you at all; you pulled a gun on me!" before adding that he had kids in the car. The bystander filming the video then urges Solano to "put the gun away." Solano holsters his weapon before turning to him and asking, "Did you not catch him yelling at me the whole time?"
Solano appears to go back to his car as the video runs out. Watch the clip below:
The Police Department's Bureau of Internal Affairs is now investigating the incident, police spokesman Tom Ahern confirmed in a statement to Block Club Chicago.
Shooting of Anthony Alvarez
The road rage incident comes about a month after the city released video footage of Solano fatally shooting Alvarez on March 31. Solano, who has been with the Chicago Police Department for six years, shot Alvarez during a foot chase just blocks away from Alvarez's Portage Park home.
Bodycam footage showed Solano telling Alvarez to drop his gun before firing multiple shots as he ran, striking him in his back and left knee, according to autopsy records.. A gun can be seen in Alvarez's right hand as he is shot but he did not raise or point it at the officer during the chase. Solano was put on administrative duty for 30 days following the shooting.
In the wake of the shooting Alvarez's family pushed for answers and demanded Solano to be prosecuted for murder. Todd Pugh, an attorney representing the Alvarez family, said the road rage videos "lend greater currency to the argument that he was not an in-control police officer" before or after he shot Alvarez.
