Elgin cop to plead not guilty in beating

A suspended Elgin police officer will plead not guilty in an off-duty New Year's Day assault on a South Elgin man who was handcuffed in the back of a squad car, his attorney said Wednesday.

Chris Darr, 32, is scheduled to be arraigned on July 17 on aggravated battery offenses, which authorities allege took place after a fight in which the officer's father, a former Elgin deputy police chief, was seriously injured.

On Wednesday, a special prosecutor assigned to the case turned over copies of grand jury transcripts, police reports and photographs to Darr's lawyer, Gary Johnson.

Darr, who was stripped of his police powers and placed on paid leave after he was charged on May 9, intends to plead not guilty to the allegations, Johnson said.

Officer Darr is accused of punching the handcuffed Kevin Schwartz several times in the back seat of a city squad car after a fight at the Holiday Inn on Airport Road, in which Darr's father, Jack, was hurt.

Schwartz went to a New Year's Eve party at the hotel, where Jack Darr worked security. The elder Darr was injured after a brawl in one of the rooms. Schwartz initially was charged in the fight, offenses Kane County prosecutors dropped Jan. 31.

Darr is free on bail. He also is a defendant in a $5 million federal lawsuit, which also includes the city and other officers, of police brutality.