Milwaukee officers should have had tasers, police union says of fight

Three officers are on administrative leave and one suspended after a fight and arrest was caught on video.

"We're asking everyone involved to reserve judgement before they look at a use of force, and determine that it's brutal."

On Wednesday Milwaukee Police responded for a man having a mental health crisis. body camera video shows the suspect throwing punches cell phone video shows Lowe being taken to the ground and punched and kicked by officers.

Police union president Mike Crivello says the officers faced a large threat. Civil rights attorney Jerome Konkel says Demetrius Lowe should never have punched an officer.

"The altercation seems to have started when he threw a punch, which, as we talked before, can't be justified under most circumstances."

But he thinks they took it too far once Lowe was on the ground.

"There appears to be multiple officers, there appears to be kicking. I can't think of any circumstance where kicks, especially to the person's upper body or head are ever appropriate."

Crivello says there was a major problem with the responding officers equipment.

"Some of those officers who would have checked out a taser, were unable to check out a taser."

He says a supervisor decision to not issue the tasers lead to more officers responding to make the arrest.

"Why that happened is because it took too long, and should those initial officers had had that taser with them at the time, we wouldn't be talking today."