Former Lynwood cop charged with punching handcuffed suspect

INDIANA (STMW) - A former Lynwood police officer has been charged with aggravated battery and official misconduct for allegedly punching a handcuffed suspect in the face, rendering him unconscious in the garage of the south suburb’s police station.

Sgt. Brandin Fredericksen, of Lowell, Ind., has since been fired for the Sept. 20, 2013 incident.

Fredericksen, 33, and a handful of his supporters were waiting for his case to be called at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse on Tuesday.

But his hearing was moved to the suburbs late in the afternoon after Cook County Judge Laura Sullivan noted that the alleged attack didn’t happen in the jurisdiction.

Fredericksen was eventually given a $10,000 bail when he appeared at the Markham courthouse before Judge Frank Zelezinski.

Randolph Holmes, the man Fredericksen is accused of punching, ended up with a concussion and a left nasal bone fracture from the attack over two years ago, authorities said.

Holmes was taken to a booking room where prosecutors said he was handcuffed on a bench following his reported arrest for domestic battery and an outstanding warrant. The arresting officer told Holmes he would be taken to the Sauk Village police station to be processed, because Lynwood’s fingerprint system was down, prosecutors said.

Fredericksen, who was helping his colleague with the transport, allegedly became irate because Holmes wasn’t taking orders and started talking on his cellphone. The other officer, meanwhile, uncuffed Holmes from the bench and cuffed his hands behind his back. Soon, Holmes and Fredericksen started arguing and insulting each other, prosecutors said.

As they started walking, Fredericksen allegedly shoved Holmes’ body so hard into the open door of the lockup, it caused the door to close.

Then while holding onto Holmes, Fredericksen led him out of the police station’s garage before striking him in the nose with an “uppercut” punch, prosecutors said. The force of the blow was so strong, Holmes fell to the ground, prosecutors said. Holmes was on the ground for roughly a minute and a half when the arresting officer turned up. Fredericksen tried to pick Holmes up, but he could not stand, prosecutors said.

Fredericksen ended up carrying Holmes into the back of his colleague’s patrol car before he was taken to Sauk Village, prosecutors said.

There, Holmes complained that Fredericksen had “knocked (him) out” and repeatedly asked for medical attention. An officer wiped blood from Holmes’ nose and he was given medical attention once he was returned to Lynwood officials, prosecutors said.

Holmes was charged with resisting arrest and aggravated battery of a police officer for allegedly spitting on the officer. Holmes, now 26, ended up pleading guilty to resisting arrest, according to court records.

He has a pending attempted murder case from earlier this year in Markham, court records show.

Fredericksen is represented by Daniel Herbert, who was in court earlier Tuesday for the arraignment of Jason Van Dyke, a Chicago Police officer charged with the murder of Laquan McDonald.