By Nick Gale, WLS News
A south suburban man is asserting in court that his constitutional rights allow him to impersonate a cop.
Attorneys at the University of Chicago agree, urging a judge to throw out federal charges against Michael Bonin of Beecher.
Listen to Nick Gale’s report for WLS radio news here:
Bonin allegedly posed as a deputy marshal last December at a River North movie theater. He’s accused of wearing a law-enforcement gear, flashing a handgun and announcing he was a “U.S. marshal” when moviegoers asked him to stop talking on his phone.
His attorneys say a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling allows Bonin to claim he’s a deputy marshal — as long as he wasn’t trying to commit another crime. They say it’s his First Amendment rights.
Prosecutors argue a ruling in Bonin’s favor could make it harder to prosecute fake cops.
@ WLS News
