Photo: Getty Images
An innocent Black man was arrested and beaten by Wisconsin police officers after being mistaken for a hit-and-run suspect.
According to WISN, the wrongful arrest by Kenosha police unfolded on July 20 as the man was holding his baby in a local Applebee's.
According to police, officers were responding to a hit-and-run crash when they walked into the restaurant in search of the suspects. Police said witnesses of the crash described the suspects as two Black men and a woman carrying a child.
Officers also alleged that employees directed them toward the man who appeared to be detained and beaten in video of the incident.
In the video, officers can be seen attempting to grab the man's crying baby from his arms. After the baby is taken away, police appeared to be on top of the man as one officer repeatedly punched him.
Warning: Graphic, Explicit
Police later learned the man wasn't involved in the hit-and-run crash. The actual suspects were found hiding in the restrooms of Applebee's.
Jennifer Harris, a manager working on the night of the incident, gave her account of the "traumatic event."
"(Police) came in and asked (the family) to show them what car they came in, so they could verify if they were in the car accident or not," Harris said. "The guy didn't want to comply, he had his baby in his arms. (The officers) kept telling him he's not under arrest, but he's detained and needed to answer this question. He was trying to say he needed to change his son's diaper. He tried to go the other way, they tackled him into a wall and the baby hit its head on the wall. They continued to tackle him to the ground with the baby in his arms."
"It's just sad. I just felt bad for the baby, that it had to go through that traumatic event," she added.
Despite being innocent, the man tackled by police was charged with disorderly conduct and resisting and obstructing an officer. A woman he was with is also facing the same charges as well as possession of marijuana. The hit-and-run suspects were also charged.
Community activists are calling for officers to be held accountable for their actions.
"Why did the cops feel they needed that level of force with a baby in his arms," Tanya McLean, the executive director of Leaders of Kenosha, said in a statement. "What is it that makes you feel as if you need to be so overly aggressive, so confrontational like you're ready for a fight?"
The Kenosha Police Department said the incident is still under investigation.
"The investigation when complete will be comprehensive and dictate whether the officers acted appropriately or not and if any disciplinary action or additional training is deemed necessary," the department said in a statement.
The Black Information Network is your source for Black News! Get the latest news 24/7 on The Black Information Network. Listen now on the iHeartRadio app or click HERE to tune in live.