Federal civil rights lawsuit to be filed Tuesday morning in Milwaukee on behalf of Sterling Brown

• MILWAUKEE — A federal civil rights lawsuit on behalf of Milwaukee Bucks’ guard Sterling Brown will be filed at Milwaukee’s City Hall on Tuesday morning, June 19.

A press conference has been scheduled for 11 a.m. by Brown’s attorney.

The lawsuit is being filed after the January arrest of Brown — which was caught on camera and happened near 27th and National. This, after police say Brown’s vehicle was found parked across two handicapped parking spaces at the Walgreens store there.

Milwaukee police released video showing one angle of the arrest in which a Taser was used on May 23.

In separate body camera video obtained by FOX6 News, an officer is seen stepping on Brown’s ankle after the Taser had been used and Brown had been handcuffed. Brown asks the officer why he is stepping on his ankle.

Sterling Brown: “I ain’t got no reason to kick y’all, man.”

Brown can be seen surrounded by officers, as he asks repeatedly “all of this for what?”

Sterling Brown body camera video: Ankle stepped on

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An officer soon recognized his name, and asked whether he was a Bucks’ player.

Brown can then be seen saying “I look familiar, don’t I?”

Sterling Brown: ”You just said it so I look familiar.”

Officer: ”I remember the name.”

Sterling Brown: ”Yeah I know. I look familiar. I need all of y’all’s names on that report.”

Another video shows officers chit-chatting about the arrest.

Officer: ”A douchebag driver is in custody and it doesn’t list to him.”

There’s also discussion in the video about how it will make MPD look.

Officer: ”We’re trying to protect ourselves.”

Officer: ”Oh cuz he’s a Bucks’ player.”

Officer: ”Yeah, cuz he plays for the Bucks. If he makes a (expletive) complaint it’s gonna be a media firestorm. Any little (expletive) that goes wrong, it’s gonna be ‘ohhh MPD is all racist blah blah.’”

One officer comments on the overtime the arrest will cost.

Officer (singing): ”Money, money, money, money, money, money.”

At the time, police said Brown was arrested on suspicion of resisting arrest after he was illegally parked.

Sterling Brown: ”Y’all surrounding me for what? I’m just asking questions because I didn’t do anything.”

Officer: ”Yeah cuz you walked up and I told you not to walk up on me like that.”

Sterling Brown body camera video: Taser used

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Sterling Brown body camera video: Taser used, different angle

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The non-combative Brown was taken down by multiple officers.

Officer: ”Get your hands out of your pockets now.”

Sterling Brown: ”Relax — I have stuff in my hands. You want me to drop it?”

The Taser was then used.

Officer: ”Tase him, tase him.”

While on the ground surrounded by officers, the video shows Brown repeatedly questioned the officers’ use of force on him.

Sterling Brown: ”Y’all was protecting your boss. All this for what? All this for what?”

Sterling Brown body camera video: “You been to Mars?”

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Milwaukee’s Fire and Police Commission has called for an audit of the arrest.

The board wanted to ask questions to Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales about the arrest back on June 7 — but were unable to because Chief Morales had to leave the FPC meeting as a result of that fatal crash that killed Milwaukee Police Officer Charles Irvine Jr. The FPC said they wanted to learn from the Brown arrest and the changes that can be made.

The filing of the lawsuit was delayed as a result of the incident involving Officer Irvine.

The audit is set to be conducted in three phases, FPC officials said — looking at protocol, the rationale behind the officers’ discipline and changes that need to be made.

Three officers received discipline for their actions back in January. Sean Mahnke got 15 days without pay for “failure to be a role model,” and Jeffery Krueger got 10 days for the same violation.

FPC Chairman Steven DeVougas said the board learned of additional body camera footage the same way members of the public did — through the media. Chief Morales said he hadn’t seen all of the video in the case after the new video was obtained by FOX6.

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