Milwaukee Police Accused of Assaulting Black Man after Traffic Stop for Expired Tags: Cops Claim he Scraped his own face on the asphalt
From [HERE] and [MORE] 19-year-old Jordan Cain of Milwaukee has been charged with obstructing/resisting an officer and bail jumping, for an incident in which Cain accuses police of using excessive force and injuring him. Cain filed an official complaint against officers on Tuesday morning, February 5th.
Racist suspect, Police Chief Edward Flynn (in photo) and a deputy police commander on Tuesday released new details, including a squad car video, that they say justify the actions of three officers who struggled with a 19-year-old Milwaukee man during his arrest at a gas station Jan. 26. At a news conference, commander Hudson allowed reporters to watch the police video, which did not include audio. Reporters were not allowed to film the video, nor were they given copies. Hudson said the police video is considered evidence and cannot be released.
However, police provided copies of another video recorded by a surveillance camera at Kool Petroleum. The gas station video is barely discernable and reveals nothing except that two squad cars and Cain were at a gas station - apparently multiple officers were necessary to investigate the expired tags on the Black man's car.
According to the officers, police stopped Cain on January 26th just after 10:00 a.m. at a gas station near 35th and Townsend because they believed the license plate on his car was suspended. The complaint states an officer asked Cain for identification, and Cain said it was in his trunk, and exited his vehicle. They claim that Cain placed a plastic baggie in his mouth and began chewing it.
Police say at this time, there was reason to fear for Cain’s safety — a fear he had swallowed a bag of some type of drug, and may overdose. According to police, an officer ordered Cain to spit out the bag, but did not.
Flynn said one officer saw Cain pulling his hands from his pockets and putting what appeared to be a plastic baggie into his mouth with his right hand. Flynn said the officer reported that he observed this from five feet away and believed from experience and training that the baggie contained narcotics. (baggie training?)
Flynn said the second officer saw Cain chewing on something. That officer did not see a baggie going into Cain's mouth, Flynn said.
"I don't see how this is a discrepancy," Flynn said.
Flynn acknowledged that police did not ask for a drug test to confirm whether Cain had ingested some kind of narcotic. He said police made that decision because they had no plans to charge him with drug possession (officers don't charge, prosecutors do - bw)
"We sought medical attention because there is a risk," Flynn said.
Asked about Cain's facial injuries, Hudson said officers did not push his face against the ground. She said Cain was "moving and actively resisting" as his head was held down and handcuffed. As in he wiped his own face vigorously on the asphalt.
Police claim Cain was uncooperative when an officer tried to place handcuffs on him. Police eventually used pepper spray on Cain. A sergeant then radioed for a med unit, saying Cain’s face was scraped in the scuffle.
“Our investigation shows the injury probably occurred as his head was being held down and he was actively resisting,” a police official told FOX6 News.
After the family filed the complaint on Tuesday morning, community activist Tory Lowe had this comment: “The misconduct, the police misconduct in Milwaukee has to stop. This use of force. These officers need to be disciplined. What we want is for Jordan Cain to be not living in fear of being beaten.”
The criminal complaint indicates Cain admitted to officers he had swallowed two blunts worth of marijuana during the incident.
Cain was eventually released on signature bond. Police say this is the fourth time Cain has been arrested as an adult.
The officers involved remain on active duty while this investigation continues.