Say, how'd you get that black eye?

A policeman in Illinois showed up at work with a shiner he said he got when he was attacked in a mall parking lot -- and then things got interesting:

Soon, an email began circulating, which police say seems to have no basis.

"It stated there were repeated victims of attacks at our mall that were part of a gang initiation process," says Fairview Heights Sgt. Steve Evans.

And the email came from a seemingly credible source.

"The email indicated it was authored by the wife of a Lebanon police officer," says Evans, "and it added that another Lebanon police officer had actually been the victim of one of the attacks at our mall."

But there had been no report to Fairview Heights Police of any attack at St. Clair Square, so Evans tracked down the officer making the claims, and went to Lebanon to interview him.

You can read the rest of the story (and watch a video) on the KTVI web siet.