Thursday, May 24, 2018
MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Milwaukee police chief has apologized to Sterling Brown and says officers have been disciplined for acting "inappropriately" after the Bucks player was zapped with a stun gun during his arrest for a parking violation in January.
Brown, who is black, said in a statement Wednesday the incident was "an attempt at police intimidation" and that it "shouldn't happen to anybody." Community groups in Milwaukee have criticized police for how they handled Brown.
Police Chief Alfonso Morales' apology at a news conference Wednesday came as police released body camera footage that showed how a simple interaction over an illegally parked car quickly escalated.
The video, which was released because an internal investigation had concluded, represents another setback for a department that for years has tried to rebuild its image and relationship with Milwaukee's black residents after several high-profile cases of police misconduct.
Police did not identify the races of the officers, but most of the officers in the video appeared to be white.
It began about 2 a.m. on Jan. 26 in a Walgreens parking lot. As Brown walks out of the store, an officer standing by Brown's car asks him for his driver's license. When Brown gets close to his car's passenger door, the officer touches Brown and he tells the officer not to touch him.
"Back up! Back up!" the officer yells. "For what? I ain't did nothing," Brown responds. Brown eventually shows the officer his driver's license.
The conversation between the officer and Brown is testy as they wait for additional squad cars to show up. Brown says he has no problem with the officer's questions and the officer responds that he touched him "because you got up in my face."
"I got up on your face? Really?" Brown responds in disbelief.
It takes a turn for the worse when Brown, surrounded by four officers near his car, is asked to take his hands out of his pockets. Almost immediately a scuffle ensues, with the officers swarming over Brown and one yelling "Taser! Taser! Taser!"
Brown is heard groaning in pain on the ground, although he's barely visible from the camera's viewpoint.
Brown was not charged with anything.