Attorney: Bucks' Sterling Brown to sue Milwaukee Police Department

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May 22, 2018, 1:26 PM ET
3 min read

The attorney for? Milwaukee Bucks rookie Sterling Brown?said the guard plans to file a lawsuit against the Milwaukee Police Department after officers used a stun gun on him -- without provocation, according to a report -- during an arrest in January.

Plans for the lawsuit were announced as body-camera footage of the Jan. 26 incident?was scheduled to be released Wednesday, attorney Mark Thomsen told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel?on Tuesday.

Police officers used a stun gun on Brown and arrested the then-22-year-old guard during questioning over a parking violation in a Walgreens parking lot at about 2 a.m. on Jan. 26.

On Monday, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett said he has seen the video and was concerned about public backlash over the officers' conduct. He said Police Chief Alfonso Morales also had a similar reaction.

"I'm going to let the release of that speak for itself, but yes, I definitely have concerns after watching that video," Barrett told reporters Monday.

Sources who have seen the?body-camera footage told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Brown was not at all combative before officers used the stun gun.

"This could be bad," a source told the Journal Sentinel of the video. "The player doesn't appear to be provocative at all."

Police have shown the footage to some local officials, including a closed session of a Common Council committee.

The officers involved in the incident are the subject of an internal investigation. Brown was not charged after his arrest for resisting or obstructing an officer.

"There's going to be a video that's going to come out soon, in the next couple of weeks, involving the department," Assistant Police Chief Michael Brunson Sr. told a church congregation on Sunday, according to WITI-TV. "And I'm going to be honest with you, we're going to need your support during the challenges."

The Bucks signed the 6-foot-6 guard from SMU last summer in a deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, who selected him in the second round of the 2017 draft. He averaged 4.0 points and 2.6 rebounds this season.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.