Body cameras captured footage of the moments a West Allis police officer dropped his knee onto the neck and back of a handcuffed suspect who had surrendered after a vehicle pursuit, according to a criminal complaint.
Anton Best, 32, was charged last week with one count of misconduct in public office, a felony. The charge carries a maximum of up to 3½ years in prison and a $10,000 fine, if he is convicted.
Best has been on administrative duty since the Brookfield Police Department began investigating him for a use-of-force incident.
A criminal complaint obtained by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says West Allis police got a call on Jan. 30 about a vehicle with no license plates and heavy front-end damage. It’s believed the vehicle had earlier fled from Elk Grove police, the complaint says.
West Allis police chased the vehicle, a gray Honda SUV, until it crashed at the 1100 block of South 124th Street in Brookfield, which is in Waukesha County.
Two people in the SUV got out and ran.
One of them, identified in the criminal complaint only as “Victim A,” was caught in a front yard on Parkway Drive.
In all, Best and three other West Allis officers participated in Victim A’s arrest. A detective looked at video body camera video from all four officers.
Some of the video shows Victim A face down on the ground when Best “forcefully landed” with his left knee on top of Victim A’s neck and right shoulder blade area, the complaint says.
Best’s camera shows him walking toward Victim A’s head area and dropping down onto his neck and shoulder, the complaint reads.
Eventually, the other officers were interviewed by a detective. One said he saw Best deliver an “unnecessary drop knee kick” to Victim A, noting that Victim A was “handcuffed, compliant and had surrendered.”
Best is scheduled to make his initial court appearance July 30 in Waukesha County.
Chris Ramirez covers courts for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He can be reached at caramirez@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Body cam filmed West Allis cop dropping knee into suspect’s neck
Reporting by Chris Ramirez, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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By Chris Ramirez, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | USA TODAY Network
