MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee leaders were bracing for the expected release of a video showing a confrontation between police officers and Sterling Brown, an N.B.A. player, in which the police used a stun gun.
In recent days, Mayor Tom Barrett has voiced concern about the images that appear on the video, which could be released as early as Wednesday. “I’m going to let the release of that speak for itself, but yes, I definitely have concerns after watching that video,”
the mayor told reporters this week.
Police conduct toward black people has been a fraught issue in Milwaukee, where protesters have held demonstrations repeatedly in recent years following police shootings and the release of videos showing rough arrests.
Few details have been made public about the arrest of Mr. Brown, who is 23 and plays for the Milwaukee Bucks, since the incident took place in January, and the authorities had previously declined to release the police video of what happened. Officers used a Taser when they arrested Mr. Brown, who is African-American and who was said to have parked across two handicapped spaces outside a store.
Mr. Brown was briefly jailed but never charged with a crime. About 18 hours after his arrest, he played 27 minutes in a basketball game against the Brooklyn Nets. He had visible bruises and marks on his face.
The arrest of Mr. Brown took place in the early hours of Jan. 26 outside a Walgreens store about three miles from the BMO Harris Bradley Center, where the Bucks played their home games at the time. The police said they had confronted Mr. Brown for being illegally parked and used “an electronic control device” during the arrest.
“To be clear, the offender was not arrested solely for illegally parking a vehicle,” said Mike Crivello, the president of the Milwaukee Police Association, an officers’ union, in a statement around the time of the arrest. “His actions determined the outcome.”
Mr. Brown, in his rookie season with the Bucks, addressed the news media and called the situation a “personal issue.”
“It’s being handled,” Mr. Brown told reporters in January. “I’d appreciate if y’all would respect that right now.” Mostly a reserve, Mr. Brown played in 54 games, averaging 4 points and 2.6 rebounds a game.
Kent Lovern, the chief deputy district attorney in Milwaukee County, said in an email Wednesday morning that “no charges against anyone in this incident have ever been referred to this office.” Mr. Lovern said he had not seen the video.
Milwaukee, which has overhauled leadership of its police department in the months since Mr. Brown’s arrest, has previously struggled with relations between the police and its residents. In 2016, when an officer fatally shot a man who was fleeing, the city experienced two nights of unrest. The officer
was acquitted in 2017.
On Tuesday, with word circulating that release of the video was imminent,
Chief Alfonso Morales released a video asking for trust in the department and pledging transparency when officers commit misconduct. Chief Morales took over as the department’s interim leader in February, about three weeks after Mr. Brown’s arrest, and was named chief in April. He replaced Edward A. Flynn, whose 10-year term as chief included struggles with
high homicide rates and
strained community relations.
“If there’s ever an incident where one of our members makes a mistake, unnecessarily escalating a situation, I’m going to be honest and transparent about it,” Chief Morales, a 25-year veteran of the Milwaukee police, said in the video. “In those instances where we have made mistakes and are wrong, I’m sorry.”
The episode in Milwaukee also was one of several recent encounters in which police officers were recorded using force to subdue a professional athlete.
In 2017, Michael Bennett, then of the Seattle Seahawks, was taken to the ground and
handcuffed by the police in Las Vegas.
Months later, video captured a violent encounter between Georgia police officers and Desmond Marrow, a former N.F.L. player.
Mr. Marrow, who was accused of participating in a road rage incident, was seen on the video being forced down by three officers. Mr. Marrow said, “I’m not even fighting back” as he was
thrown to the ground.
Mitch Smith reported from Milwaukee, and Benjamin Hoffman from New York. Daniel Victor contributed reporting from New York.
