Chicago Man Stops to Help "Woman in Distress," Gets Arrested for Soliciting Prostitute
It's a sad state of affairs when those who go out of their way to help others in distress find themselves in need of help as well. Some do-gooders may even be inadvertently arrested for a crime. A recent lawsuit filed against the city of Chicago is trying to rectify the situation of one "good Samaritan" who was arrested for trying to help someone in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Chicago residents Erasmo and Rocio Palacios were in their car early one morning after having dropped off their 6-year-old daughter at school. They had picked up their 22-year-old daughter to take her out for breakfast, and the two waited in their car in front of a restaurant where their daughter was exchanging a cup of coffee for hot chocolate.
Then, Rocio noticed a woman across the street who was waving her arms as if she was in distress and was trying to flag down someone to help her.
Erasmo drove over to where she was, but when they reached the woman, they immediately realized they had misunderstood the situation. According to the Palacios, the woman allegedly leaned into the passenger side of the car where Rocio was sitting and asked Erasmo if he would like to pay her $20 for oral sex or $25 for sex. Now understanding who the woman was, they could only laugh at their mistake in judgment.
However, before they could do anything else, Chicago police swarmed the car, handcuffing Erasmo and dragging him out of the car. Rocio wept, and the daughter, who had returned to the car after her trip into the restaurant, screamed at the police to let her father go.
The woman who had offered sex for money was no prostitute; she was actually an undercover cop working a prostitution sting. In the police report, officers stated that Erasmo himself was the one who asked the woman for sex, while failing to mention the fact that his wife was in the car and his daughter was standing outside the car when the incident happened.
Erasmo was arrested on charges of soliciting a prostitute and held for eight hours before being released. Several weeks later, charges against him were dropped. Now, Erasmo, who has no criminal record, is suing the city and the officers involved in his arrest for violation of civil rights.
On top of an experience that Erasmo called "frightening" and "ridiculous," the Palacios" attorneys are seeking to recover their car, a 1983 Mercedes that was impounded the day of the arrest. The city is demanding $4,700 in towing and storage fees in order to return the car from him, despite the fact that the charges were dropped and Erasmo cleared of wrongdoing.