KENOSHA, Wis. — A viral video is prompting calls for accountability for a group of Kenosha police officers.
It shows a couple with a young child sitting at a local Applebees when officers enter and approach the table.
In the video, the man holding the child tries to walk away. Officers grab him and drag him down to the floor with the child still in hand. After struggling to remove the child from his arms, officers put the man’s hands behind his back and appear to strike him.
New information from Kenosha Police reveals the man in the video was not the suspect officers were initially searching for.
The Kenosha Police Department was reportedly looking for suspects following a serious hit-and-run accident at Hwy 50/Green Bay Rd, which included a Black man and Black woman holding a baby. The suspects left the scene towards the restaurant.
Police say in a statement that Applebee's workers directed the officers to the table with the man in the video. According to officers, "the male attempted to leave against officers orders and was restrained. He resisted and the incident that was caught on camera unfolded from there."
He was charged with disorderly conduct, resisting, and obstructing an officer. The individuals responsible for the hit-and-run were located inside the bathroom at Applebees and arrested.
“People are very, very upset after seeing that,” Tanya McLean with the community group, Leaders of Kenosha, told TMJ4. “Where was the de-escalation? There was none in that video.”
A representative from the Kenosha Police Department says the incident is being internally investigated. McLean says she met with leaders at the police department, who she feels are taking the investigation seriously.
She tells TMJ4, the officers involved should be held accountable.
“I'd like to see them fired, personally,” said McLean. “That's not okay. We need to learn lessons from the past.”
She says the question now for residents is this: “Are we safe in Kenosha? We have police officers. They're supposed to be our community partners, they're here to serve and protect us. And I don't feel safe.”
McLean and her group, Leaders of Kenosha, met outside of the Kenosha County's Public Safety Building Wednesday afternoon to speak with community members about the police department's use of force seen in the video.
"I don't think it's too much to ask the police to be guardians to the communities they are sworn to protect and serve, and not military-minded warriors who behave like an occupying force," said Reverend Dr. Monica L Cummings, Vice President of Congregations United to Serve Humanity (CUSH).
The full statement from Kenosha police is below:
The call was for a serious hit and run accident at Hwy 50/Green Bay Rd. where a vehicle rolled over. Suspects were described as 2 black males and 1 black female who fled on foot west towards Applebees. Another witness stated that the female was carrying a child. An employee at Applebees identified some suspicious people inside the restaurant that they believed may be involved and directed officers to the two individuals that were arrested with the child inside the restaurant. The male was being detained as the crash was being investigated. The male attempted to leave against officers orders and was restrained. He resisted and the incident that was caught on camera unfolded from there. He was charged with Disorderly Conduct, Resisting, and Obstructing an officer. The female who was also being detained during the investigation was arrested on the same charges and also possession of THC/Marijuana. The individuals responsible for the hit and run were located inside the bathroom at Applebees and arrested.
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