Milwaukee Police release video of Sterling Brown arrest

The Milwaukee Police department released video of the arrest of Bucks guard Sterling Brown on Wednesday evening. The footage was released just a day after Brown’s lawyer announced that the rookie would be filing a civil rights lawsuit against the city’s police force.

Below is footage of the incident that happened on Jan 26, 2018 at 2 a.m. The incident starts to escalate around 8 minutes in.

WARNING: The below footage is graphic and contains content some readers may find disturbing. Viewer discretion is advised:

In January, Brown was arrested by Milwaukee police officers after being questioned about a possible parking violation in a Walgreens parking lot. Brown was tased by officers during the incident. Sources told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Brown was “non-combative.”

In a statement, Milwaukee police chief Alfonso Morales said he was “sorry the incident escalated to this level.” Below is the statement in full, via ESPN’s John Barr:

Brown also released his own statement the day the footage was released:

My experience in January with the Milwaukee Police Department was wrong and shouldn’t happen to anybody. 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. This experience with the Milwaukee Police Department has forced me to stand up and tell my story so that I can help prevent these injustices from happening in the future.

Situations like mine and worse happen every day in the black community. Being a voice and a face for people who won’t be heard and don’t have the same platform as I have is a responsibility I take seriously. I am speaking for Dontre Hamilton of Milwaukee, Laquan McDonald of Chicago, Stephon Clark of Sacramento, Eric Garner of New York, and the list goes on. These people aren’t able to speak anymore because of unjust actions by those who are supposed to “serve and protect” the people.

The common denominator in all of these situations has been racism towards the minority community, the abuse of power, and the lack of accountability for officers involved. The lack of repercussions for the police officers involved in so many of these cases is offensive. This is a slap in the face to the victims’ families and communities.

Black men shouldn’t have to have their guard up and instantly be on the defensive when seeing a police officer, but it’s our reality and a real problem. There must be mutual respect and both sides have to figure out how to accomplish this.

There are no easy solutions to this problem, but there are strides that can be made to create change. I will do my part in helping to prevent similar incidents from happening to the minority community in the future.

This is bigger than me. My family, friends, legal team, Priority Sports, Milwaukee Bucks, the black community and the communities of all who stand against injustice plan to continue the fight. Peaceful support to ensure no further damage to our community is the only way to respond. I know many of you will share my anger and frustration, but for our community to progress and grow, we need to build on what we already have and not destroy it. I will take legal action against the Milwaukee Police Department to continue forcing change in our community.

The Bucks also released a separate statement saying “The abuse and intimidation that Sterling experienced at the hands of Milwaukee Police was shameful and inexcusable” and that he had the support of the organization moving forward.

Milwaukee mayor Tom Barrett saw the footage before its release and gave his thoughts via the Journal Sentinel:

“It was a disturbing video when I saw it, and I know that the police chief feels the same way,” Barrett said Tuesday. “And I don’t know exactly what actions his department is going to take, but it is disconcerting to see some of the actions in that video.”

Leading up to the release of the tape, Milwaukee Assistant Police Chief Michael Brunson Sr. said to a church congregation:

“There’s going to be a video that’s going to come out soon, in the next couple of weeks, involving the department,” Brunson said. “And i’m going to be honest with you, we’re going to need your support during the challenges.”

The officers involved in the incident have since been disciplined, according to Chief Morales. Brown was not charged after his arrest.