Newly released police body cam video of the arrest of Milwaukee Bucks guard Sterling Brown shows an officer standing on Brown’s ankle after he was taken to the ground and shocked with a stun gun, and another officer joking about the overtime pay he would receive.
According to a WISN report, the video also shows an officer voicing concern that the use of force in the arrest was likely to cause a “media firestorm.”
“The bureau is coming out for this? … We’re trying to protect ourselves,” the officer is heard saying. “Because he plays for the Bucks, and if he makes a complaint, it’s going to be a [expletive]. … And then any little [expletive] thing that goes wrong is going to be, ‘Ooh, the Milwaukee Police Department is all racist…. blah, blah, blah. ”
Brown was arrested in January in the parking lot of a Milwaukee Walgreens store after police say they found his car parked across two handicapped parking spaces. Police released bodycam footage last month that showed officers wrestling Brown to the ground and using a stun gun on him. Two sergeants and an officer received temporary suspensions for their roles in the incident.
Photos of the injuries Brown incurred during the arrest have also just been released. They show bruises to Brown’s face and marks on his back that were left by the taser. The video also shows how officers continued acting aggressively towards Brown as he lay on the ground handcuffed.
“You’re stepping on my ankle, for what?” Brown is heard saying.
“So you don’t kick us,” an officer responds.
Brown, 22, was not charged in the incident. He has said he plans to file a federal lawsuit against the police department and the city of Milwaukee.