Video shows Milwaukee police officers punching handcuffed man
Video shows Milwaukee police officers punching handcuffed man
It's just 35 seconds long, but a lot goes down quickly. A video making its rounds on social media shows Milwaukee police officers forcefully grab a man who's already in handcuffs. They then push him to the ground and repeatedly punch him.
MILWAUKEE - It's just 35 seconds long, but a lot goes down quickly. A video making its rounds on social media shows Milwaukee police officers forcefully grab a man who's already in handcuffs. They then push him to the ground and repeatedly punch him.
Incident details
What To Know:
"When I first saw the video, I just couldn't rationalize it whatsoever," said civil rights attorney B'Ivory LaMarr.
LaMarr says the man is 24-year-old Nicholas Beamon, who he said is "severely injured." LaMarr says this all started last week as a traffic stop near Palmer and Keefe when officers pulled over a car for missing its front license plate. LaMarr says Beamon was riding in the backseat, next to a baby.
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"I've spoken with three of the occupants in that vehicle and what I'm hearing that is consistent is that the officers were very hostile at the very beginning of the stop, that they were very aggressive with them and that is kind of what led to things escalating," LaMarr said.
B'Ivory LaMarr
MPA responds
The other side:
In a statement Tuesday, the Milwaukee Police Association said the officers knew Beamon had a gun in his sweatshirt pocket and though Beamon was handcuffed, the gun still could have caused deadly consequences.
President Alex Ayala said: "The officer used controlled strikes, a defense and arrest tactic taught in the police academy, to obtain compliance. The strikes stopped immediately once compliance was achieved."
Legal gun owner
What they're saying:
Still, LaMarr says Beamon is a legal gun owner.
"Just like every American who exercises their Second Amendment right to bear arms and has the appropriate permits to carry them," LaMarr said.
He adds that the officers went too far.
"I appreciate the risk that they take on a daily basis, but I think it's also important to note that the authority to enforce the law does not also provide you the authority to disregard," LaMarr said.
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Under review
What's next:
Beamon is not currently in custody. Milwaukee police say the incident is currently under review, but didn't immediately respond to interview requests Tuesday night. Meanwhile, LaMarr is calling on police to release the body camera video. He's holding a press conference on Wednesday, Oct. 13.
Portions of this article were formatted using A.I. FOX6’s Abril Preciado and an editor reviewed it for accuracy and tone prior to publishing.
The Source: Information in this story was gathered from B'Ivory LaMarr, three vehicle occupants, the Milwaukee Police Association, Alex Ayala and the Milwaukee Police Department.