Detroit-area councilman accused of handcuffing Trump critic

EASTPOINTE, Mich. – Authorities are pursuing misdemeanour charges against a City Council member in the Detroit suburb of Warren who is accused of handcuffing a woman who placed Black Lives Matter stickers on President Donald Trump campaign signs, police said.

The complaint against Eddie Kabacinski will be signed Wednesday after prosecutors gave approval for charges of assault and impersonating an officer, Eastpointe Public Safety Director George Rouhib told the Detroit Free Press.

Kabacinski, 47, is accused of handcuffing a 24-year-old woman at an Oct. 14 Trump rally in Eastpointe. She sprayed him with toy aerosol string when he chased and caught her, police said.

A message seeking comment from Kabacinski wasn’t immediately returned Wednesday. He has said the woman was disturbing the peace with the stickers and that he had authority as a former military police officer to detain her.

Police took no action against the woman.

In April, Kabacinski wore a gas mask during a Warren council meeting and complained about a “loss of freedom” due to Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s restrictions aimed at controlling the spread of the coronavirus.