In a striking legal development, a resident of Cook County has filed a federal lawsuit alleging serious misconduct by two Chicago police officers and the City of Chicago. The complaint was lodged by Lamar Buckner on February 18, 2026, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois against defendants Crystina Kittrell, Joseph Vecchio, and the City of Chicago.
The lawsuit stems from an incident that occurred on August 25, 2024. According to the complaint, Buckner was driving near West Erie Street in Chicago when he was stopped by Officers Kittrell and Vecchio, who were operating an unmarked police vehicle. During this stop, Buckner claims he complied with all requests from the officers, including providing his driver’s license and vehicle documents. Despite his cooperation, Buckner alleges that Officer Kittrell falsely reported observing suspicious movements that justified searching his vehicle. This search led to the discovery of a firearm concealed within a compartment in the dashboard—a compartment only accessible via a hidden button pressed by Officer Kittrell.
The case took another turn during an October 2, 2024 preliminary hearing when Officer Kittrell testified under oath that she did not witness any suspicious actions by Buckner herself. Instead, she relied on Officer Vecchio’s account which allegedly contained inconsistencies and falsehoods. As a result of these events and subsequent reports submitted by the officers, Buckner faced charges for Aggravated Unlawful Use of a Weapon along with a traffic offense. His vehicle was impounded as well.
Buckner’s complaint argues that these actions violated his Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable searches and seizures as well as his Fourteenth Amendment rights under U.S. law and Illinois state law. He accuses the officers of submitting false reports and giving misleading testimony which led to his unlawful arrest and prosecution.
In seeking justice through this lawsuit, Buckner is asking for compensatory damages for loss of liberty, emotional distress, financial harm due to vehicle impoundment costs, attorney fees along with punitive damages against those responsible for what he describes as gross misconduct. He demands these damages be assessed in amounts deemed fair by the court alongside pre-judgment interest on awarded sums.
Representing Lamar Buckner is attorney Jordan Marsh from Law Office of Jordan Marsh LLC based in Chicago. The case has been assigned Case No. 26-cv-1820 with Judge details yet to be disclosed.
Source: 126cv01820_Lamar_Buckner_v_Crystina_Kittrell_Complaint_Northern_District_of_Illinois.pdf
