KENOSHA, Wis. — A teen was charged with hit and run in connection to an incident in Kenosha where police mistakenly arrested a Black man in an Applebee's.
Kenosha's Fire and Police Commission plan to address the disturbing video that shows a man on the ground being punched inside an Applebee's restaurant last month.
A woman and a man holding a child were mistaken for hit-and-run suspects. In the video, you can hear the child crying and taken out of the man's arms by officers.
The man on the ground was repeatedly hit and at one point, pepper spray was used. The man appeared out of breath.
Despite mistaken identity, both the man and woman were charged with resisting an officer and disorderly conduct. The actual suspects were in the bathroom.
A day after the incident, 17-year-old Jamonte Wright was charged with one felony count of hit and run, involving injury.
Kenosha police responded to a crash in the 7500 block of Green Bay Road around 11 p.m. on July 20. Upon arrival, police found an SUV flipped upside down and a Honda Civic with heavy front-end damage. According to a criminal complaint, the Civic was abandoned, but the keys were still in the vehicle.
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An officer spoke with the driver of the SUV who initially thought the accident was her fault. The complaint says she made a left turn from a lane where she was not supposed to turn left and saw the Civic, but it was too late and the Civic struck her SUV. The crash caused the SUV to flip.
She said the driver of the Civic left before checking if she was okay, but stated the driver appeared to be speeding. The woman suffered bruising throughout her body, scratches, and a sore face. Her six-year-old son, who was also in the vehicle, was not injured.
The Civic contained a strong odor of marijuana, an open bottle of intoxicants, and the airbags were deployed, the complaint says.
An officer spoke with the owner of the Civic who said she was at work when the crash happened. She said Wright dropped her off and had been driving her vehicle.
The complaint says someone reported that the suspects in the Civic ran from the crash scene into a nearby Applebee's restaurant. The complaint says the caller also reported a fight at the restaurant.
Multiple subjects were removed from the men's bathroom, as well as a full bottle of tequila. The bathroom smelled "strongly of unburnt marijuana."
One of the subjects told police that Wright had been driving the Civic at the time of the collision. At the jail, the complaint says Wright stated, "We had the green light."
The video of police beating the wrong man has not just caught the attention of community activists who believe this should never have happened, but also the city's fire and police commission. One member told TMJ4 News on the phone Monday that they plan to address what happened in their next meeting on Tuesday.
A spokesperson for Kenosha police says that once the investigation is over, they will be more than happy to hand over dash camera and body camera video. And if need be, disciplinary action will be made against the officers, as well as education to the force and public.
Wright posted his $500 cash bond in July. He returns to court on Aug. 31 for a status conference. If convicted, Wright faces a maximum of nine months in prison and a $10,000 fine.
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