On April 27, Daniel Miller, a lieutenant for the Forest Park Police Department, was seen detaining a woman in North Riverside while seemingly off duty, as he was in plain clothes and driving his personal vehicle.
According to the department’s police chief Ken Gross, Miller has been placed on administrative leave while the village launches an investigation into the incident.
In multiple videos posted to Facebook, Miller is seen near 1st Avenue and 31st Street in North Riverside, pulling a woman out of a car and handcuffing her. His personal vehicle is parked in front of the woman’s car with the license plate “Prez 45,” and he’s wearing a shirt with President Donald Trump’s name on the back and a gun tucked into his pants.
According to Facebook posts, Miller drew his gun as he approached the woman’s car, which reportedly hit a curb due to rainy conditions.
In 2017, Miller fatally shot Marco Gomez, who was driving a stolen vehicle in Forest Park. Gomez was reportedly stopped at Jackson and Harlem when Miller got out of his patrol car and approached the stolen vehicle with his gun drawn. As Gomez tried to drive away, Miller shot into the car, hitting Gomez in the chest.
Gomez’s family sued the village of Forest Park in 2018, alleging that the Forest Park Police Department doesn’t properly train police officers, encourages excessive force and fails to discipline officers involved in unjustified shootings. According to the lawsuit, Gomez wasn’t armed and was on parole after serving time for robbery and theft.