A Chicago family filed a federal lawsuit today alleging that police officers unlawfully broke into their West Side home and assaulted them verbally and physically on election night during a neighborhood celebration of Barack Obama’s victory.Five members of the Arnold family, ranging in age from 1 to 18, were on their front porch in the 3400 block of West Chicago Avenue on the night of Nov. 4 as residents celebrated Obama’s presidential victory, said Gregory Kulis, the attorney who filed the suit on behalf of 7 plaintiffs.As residents were cheering and yelling, police squad cars came into the neighborhood and discharged pepper spray, including throwing a can of spray into one crowd of celebrants, Kulis said, citing witness accounts. When a member of the crowd threw the can of pepper spray back at the squad car, police officers began pursuing the crowd with guns drawn, Kulis said.
