Black man tackled by police talks about incident, lawsuit

CHICAGO (AP) — A Chicago suburb is poised to settle a lawsuit for $1.25 million with an African-American man who was tackled by police officers who believed he’d stolen a car that was actually his.

Before the Evanston City Council was scheduled to vote on the settlement Monday night, Lawrence Crosby says the 2015 traffic stop gave him a firsthand look at the kind of police violence that other black men have experienced around the country.

The 28-year-old engineer says he now wants to speak out on the bias that people have when they see a black man that make it easier to believe he’s a criminal.

Crosby says he hopes by speaking out he can help others avoid the kind of experience that has made it difficult for him to sleep at night and trust strangers.