A white Chicago police officer resigned after he was captured on video repeatedly grabbing a Black woman walking her dog in a confrontation her legal professionals referred to as “racial profiling,” the division stated Friday.
Officer Bruce Dyker give up whereas the Aug. 28 incident was nonetheless beneath investigation, a division spokesperson stated.
The encounter occurred shortly after midnight when Dyker requested Nikkita Brown to go away a seashore that was closed, in response to the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, which reviewed the incident and forwarded its findings to the police division in October.
The company stated the officer “forcibly grabbed” Brown after “words were exchanged.”
Body digital camera video launched by Brown’s lawyer shows Brown asking the officer to respect her house as he emerges from his cruiser. “It’s Covid,” she will be heard saying.
It isn’t clear what occurred earlier than the video, however Dyker will be heard responding: “Respect your space? I’m about to put handcuffs on you.”
Brown will be seen backing away from Dyker whereas repeatedly telling him to “again up” and move away from her.
“Get out of the park,” he can be heard shouting at one point. “What do you not understand about that? The park is closed. You are trespassing on city property, and you will go to jail if you don’t take your dog and leave.”
The video shows Brown pausing and looking at her phone, and the officer appears to grab it before grabbing her arm. Brown can be heard repeatedly screaming and saying, “let go.”
In a witness video released by her lawyer, the officer appears to restrain Brown for nearly a minute before he releases her and she walks away.
A lawyer representing Brown after the incident, Keenan Saulter, said the case was an “apparent case of racial profiling” because white pedestrians were nearby but not approached in the same manner.
“He by no means had a purpose to method her. He by no means had a purpose to assault her, and by no means had a purpose to arrest her,” Saulter stated. “And the best evidence of that is that after he attacked her, he allowed her to walk away.”
Mayor Lori Lightfoot stated she was “quite disturbed” by the video and stated: “I think this woman deserves to have answers as to what happened, as do members of the public.”
Dyker was placed on administrative leave, Police Superintendent David Brown told reporters in August. It wasn’t clear if the officer was facing disciplinary measures before his resignation.
He couldn’t be reached for comment.
The top official in Chicago’s chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police, John Catanzara, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But he told the Associated Press that “Bruce simply had sufficient of the nonsense and scrutiny for doing his job.”
Lawyers for Brown did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Antonio Planas contributed.