The Chicago police officer who shot an unarmed man at the Grand Red Line station on Friday was charged with assaulting a McDonald’s restaurant worker in 2015, less than two years before the city hired her to become a cop. Prosecutors dropped the case when the alleged victim failed to appear in court.
Police arrested Melvina Bogard at the fast food restaurant, 1951 East 95th Street, at 2:27 a.m. on Dec. 28, 2015.
A 19-year-old McDonald’s worker told police that Bogard got out of her car in the drive-thru lane, began pounding on the drive-thru window with her fist, and “shouted threats of bodily harm” toward the employee.
Prosecutors charged Bogard with misdemeanor assault. The charge was dropped on Jan. 15, 2016, when the victim failed to appear at the initial court date, according to court records.
Bogard, who was 27 at the time, is listed as a “student” on the CPD arrest report that documents the case.
Chicago police last week said Bogard and her partner on the night of the shooting, Bernard Butler, have been on the force since late 2017. Prior arrests and even criminal convictions are not automatic disqualifiers for candidates interested in becoming Chicago police officers, according to the city.
The department stripped Bogard and Butler of their police powers on Wednesday afternoon while the shooting is investigated.
The shooting is under review by the FBI, CPD, and COPA.