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Suburban family sues after police mistakenly raid wrong home
A family in Joliet filed a federal civil suit after suburban police forcefully entered the wrong home armed with rifles in November 2021.
CHICAGO - A family in Joliet filed a federal civil suit after suburban police forcefully entered the wrong home armed with rifles in November 2021.
Attorneys for the Carrasco family say two years ago Thursday, they were sound asleep when they were the wrongful targets of the traumatic police raid which was supposed to happen at the residence next door.
Ring video taken from Nov. 2, 2021 shows a number of armed officers entering the home of Adela Carrasco.
Inside, attorneys say Carrasco and her four young grandchildren, ages 10 to 14, woke up to yelling and banging on the front door. When she opened the door, officers swarmed in with guns raised, despite the grandmother informing them that the person they were looking for didn't live there, according to the suit filed Wednesday night.
Officers allegedly shouted that they had an arrest warrant for "Elliot Reyes," who did not live at Carrasco's home located at 228 Comstock. The lawsuit claims officers already knew that the warrant was for 226, not 228 Comstock.
Officers with the Joliet Police Department, Will County Sherriff’s Office and U.S. Marshal’s Service allegedly pushed Carrasco aside, forcing their way into her home, and pointed guns directly at her grandchildren.
"I told them there's no 'Eliot Reyes' here," said Adela Carrasco. "They proceeded to push me out of the way."
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Joliet family detained unlawfully for hours files lawsuit: attorneys
Attorneys for the Carrasco family of Joliet say two years ago Thursday, they were sound asleep, when they were the wrongful targets of a traumatic police raid which was supposed to happen at the residence next door.
"They came in like a snake form on the staircase, they came up, all pointed rifles. In case any of my grandkids would of got up at that precise moment, my fear was that they were going to shoot 'em and kill'em," said Adela.
"They've suffered severe emotional and psychological injuries," said Zach Hofeld, attorney for the Carrasco family. "They were not a threat. There was no reason to point a loaded firearm, finger on the trigger, at these kids. Yet they did."
Joliet police had a 77-day-old warrant for 18-year-old Elian J. Raya of 226 Comstock in connection to a Halloween party shooting in 2021. They entered the correct home and immediately detained Raya.
However, Carrasco and the children were still held by police in their own home for six hours, according to the complaint. Officers told them they were being detained to allow time to secure a warrant to search the entire house.
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Ring video shows suburban police forcefully enter wrong home in Joliet: complaint
A federal civil suit was filed by a family after officers armed with riffles entered their home in November 2021. The complaint claims the officers knew they were entering the wrong residence while attempting to execute a search warrant.
Months later, three individuals were arrested and charged for the Halloween shooting. They currently await trial. None of them had any relation to Elliott Reyes, Elian J. Raya or 226 or 228 Comstock in Joliet.
Carrasco said she was so traumatized, she has since moved from that home. She and her family are seeking justice for emotional distress and say their constitutional rights were severely violated.
At least one officer named in the lawsuit is a detective for the Joliet Police Department. FOX 32 News reached out to Joliet police for a comment and were told it could not comment on a pending lawsuit.