Photo: Getty Images
A Black woman in Chicago was walking her dog in a closed park one night in August. An officer yelled at her to leave the closed area, moments later the officer attempted to tackle her. Now, the body camera footage of the violent encounter has been released to the public.
Nikkita Brown said she was walking her small dog in Lincoln Park on August 28 when an officer drove up to her and told her to leave immediately. Brown told Good Morning America she was walking out of the park, complying with instructions when the maskless officer denied Brown's request to social distance.
"Please don't. Please respect my space. It's Covid. Six feet," Brown can be heard saying in the clip.
"Respect your space? I'm about to put handcuffs on you," the officer replied.
Brown told the outlet she repeatedly told him, "I'm leaving" and "I am walking away" but he got out of his vehicle and continued to follow her. Brown said there were four other people –– white men –– behind her walking out of the park but the officer didn't say anything to them.
"You can go to jail," the officer told Brown in a video captured by a bystander.
At one point, Brown takes out her phone to record the incident or to call for help, stating that she wanted to "at least leave a voicemail and say 'if you call me in the morning and you don't reach me, I'm in jail or worse."
The officer ran toward Brown and tried to tackle her, starting a minute-long physical scuffle in which the officer repeatedly threatened to arrest Brown. At the end of it, no arrest was made.
The officer, identified by Brown's attorney as Bruce Dyker, has been placed on desk duty, pending an investigation by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, a Chicago Police Department spokesperson told reporters last month.
"Ultimately, We want him fired, given this incident and his horrible disciplinary record," Brown's attorney, Keenan Saulter, told ABC News. According to the outlet, Dyker has had 24 allegations of misconduct filed against him, three reports have resulted in discipline.
Reading about Black trauma can have an impact on your mental health. If you or someone you know need immediate mental health help, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
Get the latest news 24/7 on The Black Information Network. Listen now on the iHeartRadio app or click HERE to tune in live.