on January 26th 2018 22-year-old professional basketball player Sterling Brown parked his car in front of a store and went inside however his parking space included two handicapped parking spots which caught the attention of Officer Joseph Grahams of the Milwaukee Police Department Officer Grahams went to Mr Brown's vehicle and waited for him to finish shopping the encounter was captured on body [Music] camera how you doing you got a driver's license where's that where's your driver's back up you don't see you don't see you don't you don't see the issue here hold on TCH you don't see the issue here you're not parked across three lanes that's cool that's cool back 2390 get another Squad here back up back up what are you instructing me I just told you to back up I just told you to back up I everything camera okay you touch me first that's right I told you to back up cuz you're going to try and get in the car I'll do what I want all right I own this right here you don't own me though so what's your name say I didn't say I own you I said own this but this me don't tou me me what's your name I'm asking you I'm telling you these are simple questions man no I'm answering these are simple questions and you're being and you're being like and you're being all bad asking me all right I asked you a question so I could verify this okay you don't think I see these that are whatever I don't fake so I'm asking your name I use real ID I don't okay I don't know who you are okay so that's why I ask okay I asked for an i these are these are legitimate questions right I ain't got no problem with it okay well you look at me like I got something grown out of my head all right I'm just saying you touched me that's the inial cuz you got up in my face okay I got up in your face really I asked you to back up and you did not do it I asked you to back up and you did not do it you back up about 3 in all right everything I'm doing is on camera dude I don't care these are legitimate these are legitimate requests all right so can you explain this to me park across parked across two you have an entirely empty parking lot and you parked across two go handicap parking going to the Walgreens in at at what time in oh long enough time where I sat here for about a minute and I was in came out I was in and out that's it I did I pulled I pulled up parked right here I was in and out that's [Music] [Applause] it officer Graham's approach to Sterling Brown as seen in the footage is highly aggressive and far from conciliatory the aggressive manner in which officer Grahams demanded Mr Brown's driver's license after he returned from the store was not in keeping with how officers should ideally interact with the public officers are expected to be exemplary leaders and followers accountable for the quality of their performance and behavior however officer Graham's behavior in this incident appears to deviate significantly from these values while Mr Brown's violation of parking in two handicapped spots is clear under the relevant section of Wisconsin law prohibiting parking in designated access aisles for individuals with disabilities the appropriate response would have been to correct Brown's actions and pursue due process for the parking violation however officer Graham's actions such as physically pushing Brown and claiming obstruction were deemed excessive especially given that he was positioned in front of the door to Brown's vehicle so what what we doing like what oh we're going to wait what Wai I'm waiting for my partner understand that but well you had you had time to park across these Lanes here so so so we're going to wait a little longer we're just going to figure it out man I know all right so what what we figuring out we're going to figure out what we're going to do whether you going to get tickets whatever you can't do that by yourself [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] hey man you can you got my grill after I tried to keep so I was like no big deal yeah yeah all I wanted this is all I wanted was going I just wanted to know you guys are not very busy oh yeah okay [Applause] thanks I just I just I just to where no I was never at there no I just punched in this location when I came here with this c i just no was not good I just fmbc it someone [ __ ] computer put right here I didn't call it in I actually did over the computer so all right have a nice [Music] night see [Music] that's more than five units responded to officer Graham's call for on scene backup which may have spooked Mr Brown who likely expected a simple ticket or warning for the parking violation according to the Wisconsin legislative Council act memo the fine for a handicapped parking violation was increased to at least $150 up from less than $50 and not more than $300 under the previous law while the maximum fine remained the same the situation became more tense as other officers approached Mr Brown and began questioning him noticing this officer Grahams also approached Mr Brown intensifying the [Music] [Music] confrontation I'm just asking what and I can [Music] move [Applause] Str you you you don't need you really you really don't need to okay going get involved in something I got [Music] my [Music] ground hold [Music] on Taser Taser [Laughter] [Music] Taser my [Applause] 231 [Applause] [Applause] [Music] the situation escalated when five officers questioned Mr Brown leading to one officer yelling at him to remove his hands from his pockets Mr Brown's response indicated his concern about potential illegal searches or seizures this verbal exchange resulted in the officers tackling him using a taser multiple times and one officer stepping on his ankle these actions raise Fourth Amendment concerns about unreasonable searches and seizures detaining Mr Brown for an extended period considering he had only committed a parking violation likely violated his constitutional rights Wisconsin statutes allow for temporary stops if a crime is suspected but in this case where only a minor infraction occurred the prolonged detention seemed unjustified it's crucial to note that traffic violations like parking infractions are civil matters not crimes officer Graham's aggressive response appeared disproportionate and possibly influenced by bias turning a routine violation into an unjustifiable ordeal [Music] [Music] you remember [Music] name I asked you to step back and you didn't do it it's all on camera sir just like explain to you just like I explain to you y [Music] where's your normal license your regular [Music] license I got sir this is paper there you go why [Applause] this I don't know why no no that's it wasn't even I rolled up I was yeah I didn't get a chance to look right right oh yeah I didn't even get a chance but you at time didn't really have reason right just initially like say I roll up I was going to take a f i see the car park that day he's gone I said is there a reason for this the emergency what not you know that's what I'm thinking hey maybe he's got a medical emergency or something he need to get in there and I asked her I said where is he I was decited to get the minut he comes out and starts getting in my face and I said hey back up you wouldn't do you know same thing as before and that's why I called for somebody [Applause] else I don't know why I just went out with a track uh uh business check right here National Avenue my I'm going to go check my [Applause] computer how the [ __ ] that's CU I just typed in the add I just typed in the address on a a business check of being right here on National and hit enter and jumped out to take a [Music] p dick it would just been hey have a nice day you know but then I thought okay he's being an ass he's trying to hide something and now he's like well I'm a box player blah blah blah so what uh what happens here on I have no no clue I'm just did you uh run him sir on there yeah did he have anything or no okay no wants no nothing yeah [Music] 20210 one5 stre [Music] out simp officer Grahams admitted to tasing Mr Brown because he didn't comply with orders to remove his hands from his pockets however this order itself was likely unjustified given the questionable legality of detaining Mr Brown for a minor offense the use of force including tasering and stepping on Mr Brown's ankle appears excessive and violates the Milwaukee Police Department's use of force [Music] policy [Music] [Music] got all night long man you got all night you got all night long [Music] I don't know I don't know I don't have all the answers no you initiated everything you initi yeah I [Music] did [Music] box player sorry don't follow the buck I so I didn't recognize you I didn't recognize your famous [Music] name oh something else I live I live I live in other than the bus why else are you famous other than the bus what else I don't look you up where where should I look you [Music] up where else you know apparently you know all the answer so so I don't know anything about you all I know is you park like this so I wanted to I wanted to talk to you about it that's you could have told you have to touch I asked you to move back you didn't you have to touch you miss did cuz you're right in my grill on camera time you walked up on me I was standing by your car you walked right up you was not standing up on yes I was I was pared right by your door by my door I was right here by your door you know exactly man don't make it all you you going to say there in front of everybody on camera I don't have say anything this is to it's still recording everything I'm saying so where else do you where else do you know that me up apparently I don't know how to do that so why don't you tell me SM I know you've been to Mars you been to Venus You' been to the Moon where why are you school what where you know at [Music] [Music] Illinois up want to up I don't know where to look [Music] [Laughter] [Music] y [Music] 2390 you change my location to the greens 2600 black West naal 2450 you [Applause] [Applause] [Music] ready show OCC she just follow the uh okay I'm one man [Music] okay [Music] can you tow him you do the tow I got to follow him to the hospital so wherever he's going okay [Music] thanks Mr Brown was fined but not charged he filed a civil rights lawsuit for excessive force and a $750,000 settlement was reached in 2021 the settlement included an apology from the city of Milwaukee and the MPD and the officers involved were reassigned so what do you think about this case don't forget to leave your thoughts in the comments until next time take care and stay safe