Man arrested near 51st and Capitol in incident caught on camera now in custody; held on $12K+ bail

MILWAUKEE -- A man arrested Wednesday, May 2 near 51st and Capitol in an incident caught on camera is being held on more than $12,000 bail. Family members gathered Sunday afternoon outside the Milwaukee County Jail to demand "justice for Demetrious."

Demetrious Lowe, 25, is being held on the below pending charges:

He was taken into custody on Saturday, May 5 -- after he was taken to the hospital following his arrest. His family said he's had several surgeries since the incident and suffered injuries to his ribs, shoulder and neck. They said they fear being in jail isn't good for his physical or mental well-being.

"After they beat him within inches of his life, they silenced us. They took him and threw him in a county jail, in a place where people have died because they were neglected medically. They put him in here, and if you ask me, they want him to die in silence. I feel those officers acted outside of their badge because their first priority is to serve and protect," said Frana Lowe, aunt.

"We're hoping they'll release him to a medical facility, mental health facility, 'cause that's what he needs right now," said Tory Lowe, relative.

Three Milwaukee police officers were placed on administrative duty, and a fourth was placed on administrative suspension after the arrest Wednesday evening.

Cellphone video from witnesses and police body camera video has been released in this case.

***WARNING: Video may be disturbing to some viewers***

Police said officers were called to the neighborhood around 6:30 p.m. following a report that a man who was suffering from a mental health episode, had become violent toward relatives as well as other residents.

Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales said a caller stated the man had kicked her door in, and indicated she was hiding behind a car. She said he had not been acting normally since the weekend, and she believed someone put something in his drink. Family members identified him as Lowe.

As officers approached, things escalated within a matter of seconds. Chief Morales said the officers began a verbal dialogue with the man before attempting to take him into custody. He said the man resisted, and "actively fought with officers."

He said Thursday the man was still being treated at the hospital.

The four officers who were taken to the hospital were treated and released, Chief Morales said Thursday.

"I support the members of the Milwaukee Police Department. The officers take tremendous risks on a regular basis, however, it's important officers abide by our training and policy," said Chief Morales on Thursday.

As the fists started flying, cameras started rolling. Cellphone cameras captured the tense moments between the officers and a man in a blue shirt -- identified by family as Lowe.

He was located walking in the area of 51st and Capitol -- not far from the original address of the service call. Officers attempted to speak with him, but he responded incoherently and refused to cooperate with the officers’ commands. When officers attempted to arrest him, he assumed a fighting stance and physically attacked an officer, police said.

At first, the video shows Lowe was standing still in the grass as four officers surrounded him.

"And I just seen them tasing him and hitting him in the legs with their sticks. Him yelling something -- I couldn't even hear what it was. You could kind of hear them telling him to stop resisting," said Alejandro Allen, witness.

Allen parked his car just a few feet away to record video. He said the man didn't seem mentally stable.

"Like he wasn't in his right mind," Allen said. "You could just see his chest, just in and out."

That's when the video shows Lowe lunged at an officer and started swinging. The officers grabbed Lowe's arms and tried to drag him to the ground as he continued to struggle with them.

"Looked like 10 or more officers. Tasers out. You can hear when a cartridge ejects from a Taser. You could hear that. The whole takedown itself was just over excessive -- with the punching, the kicking. The man was clearly down," said Allen.

Allen said he wanted to share his account of the events -- hoping it helps both law enforcement and the community understand what happened.

"Everybody's going to have mixed emotions on the whole situation," said Allen.

Police said the man's aggression level continued to escalate as he physically charged and threw multiple punches at several officers. After several minutes, the man was taken into custody. He was taken to a hospital to be treated for injuries not believed to be life-threatening, and for a mental health evaluation, police said.

Police said the following about the four officers who were injured during the incident:

Lowe's family held a rally on Friday, May 4 -- saying police used excessive force on a man who was mentally ill. They also demanded to see him in the hospital. The family said Lowe had only recently shown signs of mental illness and they were in the process of trying to check him into a medical facility. The family hired a lawyer in hopes they would be able to visit Lowe at the hospital.

Mike Crivello with the Milwaukee Police Association, the police union, has said a supervisor did not allow the officers to check out Tasers for their shift the day of the incident, which could have been used right away to get the suspect under control.

"There was holsters that he was looking to recoup and he hadn't yet got them," Crivello said. "He then made the choice that then nobody gets a Taser until I get these holsters back."

Crivello said eventually, officers from a different district brought Tasers to the scene. He said he believes the officers did nothing wrong during their arrest of Lowe.

The incident has also sparked debate at City Hall.

Statement from Alderman Bob Donovan:

Statement from Alderman Khalif Rainey:

As for Lowe's criminal background, online court records show in 2012, he pleaded guilty in a case in which he was charged with battery and criminal damage to property. As part of his sentence (probation), he was ordered to maintain absolute sobriety and take part in anger management classes.