The Milwaukee Police Department said that members of its force acted “inappropriately” after it released a video on Wednesday of officers using a Taser on and arresting Milwaukee Bucks player Sterling Brown in a Walgreens parking lot earlier this year, HuffPost reports.
In the 30-minute video officers approach Brown, 23, after they found that his car was parked across two handicap accessible parking spots at a Walgreens parking lot on Jan. 26.
The two have an exchange before the officer tells the Bucks guard to “back up,” and accuses him of not answering a question about his name despite not giving him a chance to answer.
The cop calls for additional officers and four squad cars arrive at the scene. Brown can be seen being questioned by numerous officers.
A few minutes into the video, one of the officers demands that Brown takes his hands out of his pockets, in which Brown responds, “I’ve got stuff in my hands.”
Five officers proceed to tackle the NBA player to the ground and proceed to use the Taser on him.
After he was handcuffed, the cop that first arrived on the scene tells him that he didn’t realize he was famous.
“Sorry I don’t follow the Bucks, so I didn’t recognize you. I didn’t recognize your famous name,” he said. “Why else are you famous? You been to Mars? You been to Venus? You been to the Moon?”
The police chief, Alfonso Morales, did not provide the officers’ names or how they were punished, but that they “were recently disciplined.”
Following the video’s release, Brown said he wanted “peaceful support to ensure no further damage to our community.”
“My experience in January… was wrong and shouldn’t happen to anybody,” he said. “Situations like mine and worse happen every day in the black community. “The common denominator in all these situations has been racism towards the minority community, the abuse of power, and the lack of accountability for officers involved.”
The rookie player is reportedly planning to sue Milwaukee law enforcement.
Check out the full 30-minute video below.
