Bucks interim coach Joe Prunty discusses the Sterling Brown incident, Malcolm Brogdon not playing Friday night and the Brooklyn Nets.
Jeff Maillet / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Mayor Tom Barrett (left) and Ald. Bob Donovan.(Photo: Journal Sentinel files, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
A Milwaukee alderman is claiming Mayor Tom Barrett requested to review body camera footage of the arrest of a Milwaukee Bucks player and “ordered” the player not be charged.
Ald. Bob Donovan made the brazen claim Tuesday, a day after Milwaukee police announced Bucks rookie Sterling Brown would not be charged after officers arrested and used a Taser on him during an encounter that began with a parking violation.
Donovan, who represents the area where Brown was arrested, cited unnamed sources for his claims about Barrett and said the allegations, if true, are “disturbing.”
“I’m confident that what I was told is accurate,” Donovan said in an interview.
Barrett did not immediately respond to questions about the alderman’s claims Tuesday.
Milwaukee police command staff reviewed reports and body camera footage of the arrest and decided not to refer Brown to prosecutors for criminal charges, a police spokesman said Monday.
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The department’s Internal Affairs division is reviewing the police response, including supervisory oversight. When that investigation is complete, the findings and camera footage will be released, according to the spokesman.
Barrett has discussed the case in the media. On Friday, he told reporters he had spoken with the police management team and Bucks president Peter Feigin about the incident.
“The police are reviewing the situation,” Barrett said at the time, adding he believed body camera footage was involved.
“My understanding is that there will be an investigation of the situation and as soon as possible, I want to make sure that there’s a transparent process here for the public,” he said Friday.
On Sunday, Barrett told WITI-TV (Channel 6) he did not expect Brown to face charges. His remarks caught Donovan’s attention.
“I thought that was rather strange,” he said.
The incident involving Brown began about 2 a.m. Friday when officers doing a business check at the Walgreens near W. National Ave. and S. 26th St. saw a vehicle parked across two handicap spaces, according to Milwaukee police.
Sterling Brown (Photo: Wisconsin Department of Justice)
Officers spoke with Brown, 22, about the situation and “an electronic control device was deployed” during the encounter, police said.
Brown was arrested on a tentative misdemeanor charge of resisting or obstructing an officer.
Donovan said he has repeatedly asked Milwaukee police to be more “proactive” in the area around Walgreens after reports of armed robberies and other criminal activities.
Donovan, who frequently aligns with the Milwaukee Police Association, echoed the police union’s comments and offered support for the officers.
He and Barrett have been political foes for years. Donovan ran for mayor in 2016, losing to Barrett 70% to 30%. Earlier this month, Donovan said he had not contemplated running again.
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