The bodycam footage from the January arrest and tasering of Milwaukee Bucks guard Sterling Brown is about to be released, and it doesn’t look good for law enforcement. First, on Sunday, police leadership made a vague plea to community religious leaders about a soon-to-be released video.
Michael Brunson, assistant chief of the Milwaukee Police Department offered a mysterious warning while receiving an award at Abundant Faith Church of Integrity Sunday. He said there will be a video released in the coming days or weeks that will perhaps not shed the greatest of light on the department.
"There's going to be a video that is going to come out soon, in the next couple of weeks, involving the department. I'm going to be honest with you. We're going to need your support during the challenges," said Brunson.
The very next day, the mayor confirmed that Brunson was indeed speaking of the Brown video, and shared his own worries.
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett expressed concerns Monday about the actions of Milwaukee police in the arrest and tasing of Bucks rookie Sterling Brown.
His comments came as the Police Department braces for a backlash when it releases the video of Brown's arrest.
Barrett did not go into detail about the video, but he repeatedly said he had concerns about the actions of police personnel seen on the video. He said Police Chief Alfonso Morales had a similar reaction.
"I'm going to let the release of that speak for itself, but yes, I definitely have concerns after watching that video," Barrett said at a news conference.
Brown was arrested in the early hours of January 26, after police found his parked car straddling two handicapped spaces in a Walgreens parking lot. According to the arrest report, it was Brown’s behavior that escalated a simple traffic citation into a Taser situation.
According to (a law enforcement) source, Milwaukee Police officers were writing a parking ticket on Brown's Mercedes when Brown confronted them and became combative. One of the officers then used his Taser on Brown and arrested him for resisting arrest. [...]
Milwaukee Police Sgt. Timothy Gauerke [...] confirmed the details of the arrest.
The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports that the video portrays a much different version of events.
Brown did not appear combative or threatening when officers questioned him about a parking violation in January, according to two sources who have watched the video. The sources asked that their names not be used because they weren't authorized to speak publicly about it.
Police officials have been preparing community leaders for the release of the body-camera footage by showing it to selected local officials, including a closed session of a Common Council committee. Bucks officials have reportedly watched the video as well.
"This could be bad," said one source who watched the video. "The player doesn't appear to be provocative at all."
No criminal charges were filed against Brown, though he did receive a parking ticket. Brown also was visibly injured when he showed up for work.
Brown played in a game later that day and had bruises and marks on his face. He told reporters then it was a "personal issue" and declined to discuss it further.
Brown’s legal team confirmed Tuesday that the NBA player will be pursuing a federal civil rights lawsuit against the Milwaukee Police Department. The promise of a lawsuit comes just weeks after MPD made headlines for the violent arrest of Demetrious Lowe, months after a $1.9 million dollar settlement for racial profiling as pertains to stop and frisk rates, and less than three years after the city settled 14 federal lawsuits with 74 black men, paying out $5 million as punishment for unlawful strip and body cavity searches.
No date has been set for the release of the video, but some sources say it could be a matter of hours.
Brown's attorney tells TODAY'S TMJ4 and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel the video will be released tomorrow. Mayor Tom Barrett tells WTMJ and other reporters the video is expected to be released sometime before the end of May.