Chicago (CBS) – The Civil Police Accountability Office was investigating Sunday evening, after an incident that occurred two nights ago on North Avenue Beach, involving a woman who was walking her dog.
As CBS2’s Stephen Graves reports, the woman’s attorney said the incident was a clear case of racial profiling.
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Video showing a beach brawl between the woman and the officer. The witness video shows the woman holding a dog while the officer initially grabs her arm.
The two struggle while the pet stands on its hind legs at one point. The woman and the officer were elderly to each other for a minute before they both left and walked away.
The woman said she later called 911, claiming it was racially classified.
Lawyers from Saulter Law PC said the woman, Nikita Brown, was walking her dog near the beach around midnight last Friday night when the officer came and said he was kicking her because the beach closes at 11 p.m.
This is despite lawyers saying Brown – who is black – saw other white people walking in the distance.
Brown began filming and the officer approached and claimed to have turned on his body camera.
He heard Brown say, “Please respect my face. It’s COVID. Six feet,” as the officer says he’s about to put the handcuffs on her.
“You don’t have a mask,” Brown told the officer.
“I don’t need a mask – I’m outside,” said the officer.
Brown’s lawyers said the officer tried to manipulate her, taking the phone out of her hand and touching her. Lawyers added that Brown’s shoes were also knocked out.
Brown’s screams were heard by others who also scored from different points of view. One video went viral on social media.
On Sunday night, only Chicago police said they were aware of the video. COPA confirmed that it is investigating.
The officer was not identified.
Brown’s lawyer said his client was emotionally traumatized, describing the incident as an “unprovoked and brutal” attack.
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