Attorneys Say CPD Officer Tried To Tackle Woman As She Walked Her Dog At North Avenue Beach, Claim She Was Racially Profiled
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The Civilian Office of Police Accountability was investigating Sunday night, after an incident two nights earlier at the North Avenue Beach involving a woman who was walking her dog.
Video shows a beach brawl between the woman and the male officer. Witness video shows the woman holding onto a dog as the officer initially grips her arm.
The two struggle as the pet gets on its hind legs at one point. The woman and the officer both old onto each other for a minute before they let go and each walk away.
The woman said she later called 911, claiming she was racially profiled.
As CBS 2's Steven Graves reported, an attorney for the woman said the incident was a clear case of racial profiling playing out.
Attorneys from Saulter Law P.C. said the woman, Nikkita Brown, was walking her dog near the beach around midnight this past Friday night when she the officer came and said he was kicking her off because the beach closes at 11 p.m.
This is even though attorneys said Brown – who is Black – saw other people, who were white, walking in the distance.
Brown started filming and the officer got closer and claimed to turn on his body camera.
Brown is heard saying: "Please respect my face. It's COVID. Six feet," as the officer says he is about to put handcuffs on her.
"You do not have a mask on," Brown tells the officer.
The officer says, "I don't need a mask – I'm outside."
Brown's lawyers said the officer attempted to tackler her, knocking the phone out of her hand and groping her. The attorneys added that Brown's shoes also came off.
Brown's screams were heard by others who also recorded from different vantage points. One video has spread out over social media.
On Sunday night, the Chicago Police Department only said it is aware of the video. COPA confirmed it is investigating.
The officer is not identified.
Brown's lawyer said his client has suffered emotional trauma, calling the incident an "unprovoked and brutal" attack.
