Incidents of police brutality have a quirky way of incrementally coming to light. When Milwaukee Bucks rookie Sterling Brown was initially assaulted by Milwaukee police officers back in January it wasn’t until months later that we’re finally getting a true picture of how it all went down. Newly released camera video shows all the details leading up to, and following, an officer’s seemingly unprovoked move to fire a stun gun at Sterling Brown, then arrest him.
All this due to a parking violation. The new video shows officers discussing the possible racial ramifications of their actions, according to WISN Milwaukee.
“If he makes an [expletive] complaint, it’s going to be an [expletive] media firestorm,” an officer says. “And then any little [expletive] thing that goes wrong is going to be, ‘Ohhhh, the Milwaukee Police Department is all racist, blah, blah, blah.'” Another is heard saying, “We’re trying to protect ourselves.”
In a new body-cam video, an officer is seen stepping on Brown’s ankle after he is on the ground.
Sterling Brown arrest: ‘You’re stepping on my ankle’
After Milwaukee Bucks guard Sterling Brown was taken to the ground and shocked with an officer’s stun gun, one officer stepped on the professional basketball player’s ankle, another relished in the overtime he could accrue, and several seemed to realize that the incident could be a public relations black eye for the department, additional body cam and squad car videos obtained by WISN 12 NEWS show.
Brown: “You’re stepping on my ankle, for what?”
Officer: “So you don’t kick us.”
An officer then begins to question if Brown is a Milwaukee Bucks player. “What you think? I look familiar, don’t I?” he responded.
Though some were concerned, other officers on the scene seem unbothered by the whole affair.
In another new video, an officer appears to call a supervisor to request overtime pay. “I need to go on the overtime board if I’m not already,” he said.
He is heard singing, “Money, money, money, money, money!”
Brown was briefly jailed but never charged with a crime. Hours after the incident, he played in an NBA game with bruises on his face. Two sergeants and an officer were put on temporary leave for the incident, and the Milwaukee police chief apologized.
