Crime & Safety
CPD Officer Wore Punisher Skull On Uniform When He Pointed Gun At Teens
The officers didn't have a warrant, and neither teen had done anything wrong. The Punisher symbol is popular on the far right.
CHICAGO (CBS) — A Chicago Police officer wore a Punisher skull symbol during a 2019 incident in which officers are accused of pointing their guns at two innocent teens, according to images reviewed by CBS 2. The officer, Jesada Laksanaprom, was one of two officers who, on Christmas Eve 2019, forced their way into the home of Jaylin Stiger, then 16-years-old, and his brother, Lazerick James, who was 13 years old at the time. The officers didn’t have a warrant, and neither teen was the person the officers were searching for.
After Laksanaprom and the other officer left the apartment, the teens’ mother, Quarnita James, took photographs of their uniforms. A close-up photo of Laksanaprom’s uniform shows him pointing to his badge number, and, next to it, the angular skull symbol of the Punisher appears embroidered on his uniform. The symbol has become popular among those on the far right, although it’s usage is widespread enough that wearing it doesn’t necessarily mean a person is associated with an extremist group, according to Rachel Goldwasser, a researcher at the advocacy group the Southern Poverty Law Center.
