CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- An investigation is underway into a weekend encounter between a Chicago police officer and a woman walking her dog at North Avenue Beach.
There's video of the encounter on social media showing a black woman and a white, male Chicago police officer in a brief physical scuffle.
The law office of Saulter Law P.C., the firm representing the woman, Nikkita Brown, said Brown was walking her dog along the beach around midnight Friday night when the officer came and said he was kicking her off because the beach closes at 11 p.m.
But, according to attorneys, Brown said there were other people she could see still in the area and they were white.
At one point during the scuffle, Brown and the officer each held onto the other's arms, CBS 2 reported.
Brown is heard saying: “Please respect my space. It’s COVID. Six feet. You do not have a mask on."
The officer is then hear saying, “I don’t need a mask. I’m outside.”
The incident ended with both Brown and the officer walking away.
CBS 2 reported that Brown later called 911 to report the incident, claiming she was racially profiled.
Attorneys said in a news release that the officer of “violently” attacked Brown “for absolutely no reason.”
“He attempts to tackle her, all while groping her body as she screams for help,” the release stated. “This unprovoked attack lasts for approximately two minutes, during this time Ms. Brown’s phone is knocked from her hands and she is knocked out of her shoes.”
Attorneys allege the encounter was racially motivated.
“This was an obvious case of racial profiling,” according to a news release from the law office of Saulter Law P.C.
Brown is suffering “emotional trauma” from the “brutal, unprovoked and unlawful attack,” according to the attorneys.
The Chicago Police Department said it was aware of the video and referred the matter to the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, which opened an investigation shortly after being notified of the incident.
Ephraim Eaddy, a spokesperson for the COPA, said the agency has been in contact with Brown’s attorney.
Patricia Roberts, who shared the video on Twitter and said she’s Brown’s mother, said in a tweet that the video was recorded by a city worker, who followed her daughter home, “making sure she was safe & not followed by the cop.”
Early Monday morning, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot tweeted "I am deeply concerned by what is depicted on the lakefront beach in that video. I am aware of the incident and it is currently under investigation."
WBBM Newsradio and the Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this copy.
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