A Chicago police officer accused of punching a 17‑year‑old during a 2021 chase is now staring down disciplinary charges that could end his career. The criminal case against Officer Jeffery Shafer was dismissed after prosecutors said the alleged victim stopped cooperating, shifting the fight out of criminal court and into the Chicago Police Department’s internal system.
Police Supt. Larry Snelling filed formal disciplinary charges against Shafer last month, accusing him of an improper pursuit, attacking the 17‑year‑old, verbally assaulting another person and failing to turn on his body‑worn camera, according to the Chicago Sun‑Times. A review of city records by the Sun‑Times found Shafer has been named in multiple excessive‑force complaints and was a defendant in a 2019 lawsuit that settled for $325,000. Shafer’s attorney did not immediately respond to requests for comment, the paper reported.
Prosecutors say the alleged beating happened on Jan. 10, 2021, after a chase involving a stolen Chevrolet Camaro that crashed in Woodlawn near the 6400 block of South Cottage Grove Avenue. Other officers at the scene captured the aftermath on surveillance video and body‑worn cameras, as detailed by CBS Chicago. Prosecutors told CBS that Officer Victor Guebara punched the teen while he lay face‑down, and that Shafer then allegedly straddled the youth, punched him roughly four times and pushed his face into the concrete. Neither Shafer nor Guebara activated their own body‑worn cameras during the incident, prosecutors said…