Officers were reprimanded and disciplined by the Milwaukee police chief because they hit a Milwaukee Bucks’ player with a taser over a parking ticket.
The police also released a video of the altercation.
Watch below:
More from CNN:
Milwaukee police on Wednesday released body camera video of the arrest and tasing of Sterling Brown as the department’s chief apologized for the incident.
Members of the force were disciplined, Chief Alfonso Morales said at a news conference.
“The department conducted an investigation into the incident which revealed members acted inappropriately and those members were recently disciplined,” Morales said, without taking questions. “I am sorry this incident escalated to this level.”
Police previously said that the Milwaukee Bucks rookie was tased and arrested on January 26 after he became confrontational over an alleged parking violation. Brown was not charged with a crime as a result of the incident, which prompted an internal affairs investigation.
In the video, an officer repeatedly questions Brown about his identity and why he parked his car in front of a Walgreen’s. Brown answers that and other questions. Several other officers arrive. At one point, an officer demands Brown take his hands out of his pockets, and other officers grab the athlete and pull him to the ground, before he is tased.
“My experience with the Milwaukee Police Department was wrong and shouldn’t happen to anybody,” Brown said in a statement Wednesday. “What should have been a simple parking ticket turned into an attempt at police intimidation followed by the unlawful use of physical force, including being handcuffed and tased and then unlawfully booked.”
Brown said he chose to speak up about the incident on behalf of Laquan McDonald, Stephon Clark and others in the black community who have died in encounters with police.
I’m not sure what to think about this – is the police chief overreacting? Just because it was a parking violation doesn’t mean that NO police force is ever necessary. If he wasn’t following orders, then police have to protect themselves while questioning him. If he WAS following orders, then it’s a problem and the cops should have been reprimanded. But as of right now, it seems like a judgement call to me… let me know if you agree in the comments.
Brown says he will file a civil rights lawsuit against Milwaukee.