Derrick House, a Downers Grove resident, filed a federal lawsuit against the Village of Woodridge and five of its police officers in January 2025, seeking $500,000 over a mistaken-identity traffic stop in which officers surrounded his car and pointed guns at his head. The Woodridge police lawsuit alleged false arrest, excessive force, and racial profiling. Federal court records show the case was terminated on June 24, 2025, though the docket does not publicly state whether it ended in a settlement, dismissal, or another resolution.
What Happened During the Stop
On January 19, 2024, House was driving home from Costco in his gray 2021 Volkswagen Atlas when an unmarked Woodridge squad car cut him off and forced him to stop. Officers were searching for suspects tied to a shooting in Oswego. The vehicle they were looking for was a black Volkswagen Tiguan with two occupants and a plate ending in different digits from House’s. House was alone, driving a different model and color, with Illinois plate CN 49263 rather than the suspect plate CN 78394.
Multiple officers surrounded the car with guns drawn. Bodycam footage captured pistols pointed at House’s head from close range while officers shouted commands his attorneys later described as “confusing and contradictory.” Officers yelled “Hands up, right now!” and “Put the f—ing window down!” at the same time. One officer threatened, “I’m going to shoot you in the head if you come up with anything other than that.” Another reportedly said, “We are going to end you.”
House stepped out with his hands up, telling officers, “I don’t have any weapons, I just came from Costco, dude.” He was handcuffed, searched, and placed in a squad car. About 78 seconds after the handcuffing, Officer Brett Kielbasa checked the plate against his notes and told the others, “The last four or five don’t match. This is the wrong car.” Officer Daniel Murray at first pushed back with “No, it’s not,” then accepted the error, swore, and directed the team to release House. Murray told him, “I f—ed this up, okay? I’m going to give you my card. This is on me.” No criminal charges were ever filed against House.
What the Lawsuit Alleged
On January 17, 2025, House filed a seven-count complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, House v. Murray et al., Case No. 1:25-cv-00578. It named officers Daniel Murray, Zachary Harvey, Brett Kielbasa, Tom Cybulski, and Patrick Prendergast, along with the Village of Woodridge.
The counts included false arrest (seizure without probable cause where the vehicle description and plates did not match), excessive force (firearms pointed at House’s head and death threats over readily disprovable information), failure to intervene, assault and false imprisonment, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and a claim seeking to hold the Village financially responsible for the officers’ actions.
House sought $500,000 in compensatory and punitive damages. His attorneys at Ekl, Williams & Provenzale LLC argued the officers had enough information before the stop to know House was not their suspect. Attorney Patrick Provenzale called the incident the product of “racial profiling and poor police work,” saying, “They saw a black man driving a Volkswagen SUV and that was apparently enough. The police can’t behave this way, where they act on partial information when they have it all, and ignore the most important things.”
How the Village Responded
Jamie Kaczor, the Village’s Communications and Community Engagement Manager, said officers had been responding to a “highly volatile situation involving individuals suspected of possessing firearms, slashing tires, and discharging a weapon.” The Village said the officers acted “in good faith” based on the information available at the time and that it intended to defend the case. The statement added that the Village “deeply regrets the distress caused” to House.
How the Case Ended
The federal docket shows the case was terminated on June 24, 2025, roughly five months after filing. The record does not publicly identify the type of resolution, whether settlement, dismissal, or another disposition. Publicly available records do not reflect any prior complaints or discipline against the five named officers.
Lasting Effect on House
Court filings described continuing psychological harm. The complaint said House had been living in a “psychological and emotional prison” since the stop, with recurring nightmares, and had become “emotionally volatile” in ways that strained his family and social relationships. His attorneys alleged those effects were “certain to continue for the rest of Derrick’s life” because of the “dread and terror” the encounter instilled about future police contact.
Provenzale described House as “a great guy, a good father, a good husband, and a hardworking member of the community,” adding, “Derrick escaped those perilous moments with his life that day, but he has not escaped, and likely never will, the terror and turmoil of those moments.” The complaint said that as House turned away from the officers on their command, he “had the thought he was about to be shot in the back, not knowing who would be his executioner.”