MILWAUKEE— The Milwaukee Police Association is defending an officer seen punching a man several times during an arrest in Milwaukee’s Harambee neighborhood, saying the officer was responding to a potentially deadly situation involving a firearm.
Association President Alexander Ayala issued a statement Tuesday after video of the October 8 arrest circulated publicly. The Milwaukee Police Department says the incident is under review.
Ayala says the officers knew the man had a concealed firearm and continued to struggle with officers, even after he was handcuffed.
“Handcuffs alone do not mean a person is under control or that a firearm is beyond reach. Officers were facing a situation in which access to that gun could have had deadly consequences.”
The association said the officer used strikes taught as part of police academy training to gain compliance and stopped once the man complied.
“The Milwaukee Police Association supports this officer. He used his training to bring a dangerous situation under control and stopped using that force when it was no longer needed.”
Attorney questions officer’s use of force
Video recorded by a witness shows two officers attempting to arrest the man while he is on the ground. A third officer then appears to strike him several times around the head and shoulders.
Attorney B’Ivory Lamarr, who represents the man’s family, said the circumstances described by police do not justify the force shown in the video.
“What began as a traffic stop over a missing front license plate ended in a disturbing display of police force. Inside that vehicle were two women, a one-year-old child, and 24-year-old Nicholas Beamon, who was seated in the back seat. None had a criminal history. Yet this minor traffic violation escalated into a violent encounter that left Mr. Beamon and my clients with severe injuries. Both Mr. Beamon and the female passenger were ultimately released without criminal charges.
When I see someone on the ground, with their hands cuffed behind their back, being repeatedly beaten in the head by a police officer, I have to ask: Where is the humanity? When I see a woman being dragged across the sidewalk by an officer, I don’t see protection or service.
We must ask ourselves: How does a missing front license plate lead to this level of force? The authority to enforce the law is not the authority to disregard it.
We are calling for the immediate release of all body-camera footage, a transparent investigation, and accountability for any officer who crossed the constitutional line. The public deserves more than futile explanations. They deserve answers. And when the evidence reveals wrongdoing, they deserve accountability.”
Lamarr said he and the family plan to hold a news conference on October 14.
