in a locked park a chicago police officer who attacked a black woman and walked her dog was placed on desk duty
A white Chicago cop has been placed on administrative duty after footage of him tackling a black dog walker, without provocation, went viral.
Chicago's police oversight agency have launched an investigation into the actions of the officer, who has not been identified by the department, and will not be allowed to return to active duty until the probe is complete.
The move comes after Nikkita Brown complained she was attacked by the cop while walking her small dog in Chicago's Lincoln Park early Saturday.
In a two-minute video, Brown and her dog are seen walking away from the officer who is following her closely, gesturing for her to move back. After Brown turns around with her phone in her hand, the officer tries to grab it, before tackling her - knocking her out of her shoes - and putting her in a body lock.
'Let go!' she screams as she struggles to break free from the officer.
She was reportedly approached by the cop because she was in the park after closing but Brown was not arrested or charged, and says she was leaving the area when the officer confronted her.
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability opened an investigation on Sunday and said Monday, after reviewing the officer's body camera video. It recommended he either be placed on administrative duty or be relieved of his police power while investigation continues.
Nikkita Brown was walking her dog shortly after midnight Saturday in Chicago's Lincoln Park, according to her attorneys
They say she was on her way out when the officer 'brutally' attacked her 'for no reason'
Multiple videos show the pair engaging in a minute-long physical altercation during which Brown drops her phone and the officer puts her in a body lock
Interim chief Andrea Kersten said: 'If violations did occur COPA will hold the officer accountable.'
Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Monday she was 'deeply concerned' by widely circulated video of the incident, and Chicago's police superintendent asked the public for patience as the incident is investigated.
Saulter Law PC, the law office representing Brown, said in a statement on Facebook that she was near the lakefront with her dog about 12.12am Saturday when a Chicago police officer approached her for being in the area after the park was closed.
'Ms Brown requested that this officer provide her with six feet of distance as he was unmasked. He ignored this request and mocked it, even as the deadly Covid-19 Delta variant rages through our community,' the Facebook post read.
Brown's attorneys accused the officer of 'violently' attacking their client 'for absolutely no reason' and knocking 'her out of her shoes'.
'He attempts to tackle her, all while groping her body as she screams for help,' the attorneys say in the statement.
On Monday, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said she was 'deeply concerned' by the footage
Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown asked for patience as the city's police oversight agency investigates the matter
When the officer released Brown at the end of the video, she and the cop then pick up their belongings and walk in opposite directions.
'This unprovoked attack lasts for approximately two minutes, during this time Ms Brown´s phone is knocked from her hands and she is knocked out of her shoes.'
Brown's attorneys said she returned home after the incident, called 911 and filed a report with a sergeant, though the attorneys said they haven't received a copy of that report.
Brown is reportedly 'suffering from emotional trauma as a result of this brutal, unprovoked and unlawful attack by this Chicago Police Department Officer'.
The police oversight agency, COPA, says it's in contact with Brown's attorneys
The Saulter Law firm said their client was 'knocked out of her shoes' by the incident
They allege the encounter was racially motivated, noting there were several other individuals in the park that night, including a group of about four white people walking some distance behind Brown.
'This was an obvious case of racial profiling,' the attorneys said in their statement.
Additionally, they say the officer was unmasked and violated social distancing rules after Brown asked him to stay six feet away from her.
Bystanders were left troubled by the cop's behavior.
'Is he serious?' a voice asks behind the camera in one video.
In video captured from another angle, two people behind the camera say, 'Ay, watch the dog. He's tripping, bro. Like what?'
The Chicago Police Department said it was aware of the video and referred the matter to the oversight agency, which opened an investigation shortly after being notified of the incident.
The agency tweeted that it was in contact with Brown's attorneys.
'Apparently there was a closure of that area of the beach and then that precipitated the interaction. We don´t yet know what was done or said. All we know is this person was not arrested and yet the officer had, obviously you see the interaction on the video,' the police superintendent said at a news conference.
Brown asked the public for patience as the incident is investigated and to 'allow COPA to do its job and get to the bottom of what happened'.