Man Claims Firefighters Sprayed Him with Hose as Hate Crime: Lawsuit

A Tinley Park man alleges firefighters sprayed him with a hose because  of his race, according to reports.

The man, a 30-year-old African-American Muslim, told police he was walking by Tinley Park Station 2 when the firefighters intentionally sprayed him, allegedly because he was "negro." Firefighters told officers they were clearing the water lines and turned off the valve as soon as they noticed the man behind a nearby tree, Chicago Tribune reports. 

The man, identified by Sun-Times Media as Omar Ali, left but returned later with two friends, hurling accusations of bigotry and threats of a racial discrimination lawsuit. Ali filed a lawsuit Monday, claiming he was "in, fear, wetness, discomfort, humiliation and severe emotional distress.”

Firefighters reportedly later admitted to spraying Ali with the hose, Sun-Times Media reports.

“The spraying was neither an accident nor a joke, but a purposeful act that was directly related to the plaintiff’s race and/or ethnicity,” the suit alleges.

>>via Sun-Times Media