Footage Of NBA Player Sterling Brown’s Arrest Released By Milwaukee Police

The Milwaukee Police Department released body camera footage of Milwaukee NBA player Sterling Brown’s January arrest Wednesday evening.

Brown, who plays for the Milwaukee Bucks, was arrested outside a Walgreens and received a citation but not before the officers used a Taser to subdue him.

In the footage, Brown is seen coming out of the Walgreens when an officer approaches him and asks him why he is parked across two handicapped spots in an empty parking lot.

Around eight minutes into the video Brown is seen surrounded by a handful of officers who are asking him to take his hands out of his pockets. Brown asks them to hold on and the officers close in on him, asking for a Taser.

In a statement on Twitter, Brown said his interaction with the Milwaukee Police was something no one should have to experience.

“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,” the post read.

Brown went on to use his position as a professional athlete to advocate for those without a platform.

“Situations like mine and worse happen every day in the black community,” he wrote. “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 seriosly. 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 Bucks organization released a statement of its own calling what Brown experienced shameful.

“Unfortunately, this isn’t an isolated case,” the statement read. “It shouldn’t require an incident involving a professional athlete to draw attention to the fact that vulnerable people in our communities have experienced similar, and even worse, treatment.”

Still, the Milwaukee Police Association issued its own statement Wednesday night about the video, arguing use of force “will never look pretty.”

“Unfortunately, society and local leaders only take issue when the situation is sensational, or the individual is of prominence,” read the statement. “Our officers are routinely injured during Use of Force applications; rarely is there an outcry of support from civic leadership.”

According to Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales, the incident was investigated.

“The Department conducted an investigation into the incident which revealed members acted inappropriately and those members were recently disciplined,” Morales said in a press release.

Morales added that he was “sorry this incident escalated to this level.”

Morales didn’t take questions during a press conference he set up to address the video.

Criminal charges against Brown were not pursued.

Editor’s note: This post was updated at 8:45 a.m., Thursday, May 24, 2018.