‘I just felt bad for the baby’: Applebee’s employees describe Kenosha police arrest of wrong man

By Caroline Reinwald

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    KENOSHA, Wisconsin (WISN) — The arrest of the wrong person is now sparking outrage in Kenosha.

Cellphone video taken by employees of the Applebee’s near 75th Street and Green Bay Road in Kenosha shows the moments Kenosha police officers worked to arrest a man on July 20, who they believed was involved in a hit-and-run crash.

Police said they were responding to a serious hit-and-run crash just down the road and they believed the suspects were in the restaurant. Police said witnesses of the crash described the suspects as two Black men and a woman carrying a child who ran toward the Applebee’s.

In a written statement, police claim employees directed them toward a man and a woman sitting in the restaurant with their baby. The man in that family is seen in the viral video.

Police said they later learned the family had nothing to do with the hit-and-run.

“(Police) came in and asked (the family) to show them what car they came in, so they could verify if they were in the car accident or not,” said Jennifer Harris, the manager who was working at Applebee’s on July 20. “The guy didn’t want to comply, he had his baby in his arms. (The officers) kept telling him he’s not under arrest, but he’s detained, and needed to answer this question. He was trying to say he needed to change his son’s diaper. He tried to go the other way, they tackled him into a wall and the baby hit its head on the wall. They continued to tackle him to the ground with the baby in his arms.”

The video shows police working to free the crying baby from the man’s arms. After the baby is taken away from the man, police are seen on top of him, one officer repeatedly punching the man as he was held down by at least one other officer.

“It’s just sad. I just felt bad for the baby, that it had to go through that traumatic event,” Harris said.

“The second he said he wanted to enjoy his food and for them to go away, the officers should have left him alone,” said Hal Klibowitz, an employee who was working the night of the incident.

Kenosha police said the man tackled in the restaurant is charged with disorderly conduct and resisting and obstructing an officer.

Police said they arrested the woman he was with on the same charges and possession of marijuana.

Kenosha Police Department said officers did find the actual hit-and-run suspects hiding in a bathroom. They were also charged.

Community activists gathered outside the Kenosha Safety Building on Wednesday and called for a thorough and transparent investigation into the officers’ actions.

“Why did the cops feel they needed that level of force with a baby in his arms,” asked Tanya McLean, the executive director of Leaders of Kenosha. “What is it that makes you feel as if you need to be so overly aggressive, so confrontational, like you’re ready for a fight?”

WISN 12 News has asked Kenosha police for the body camera footage but was told the video will only be available after the internal investigation is complete.

When asked, a Kenosha Police Department spokesperson provided the following statement:

“The Kenosha Police Department has an internal process in place to review our officer’s use of force that is more robust than what the state requires. We were aware of the incident immediately as a result of that process and started a review of it. Currently it is under investigation. The investigation when complete will be comprehensive and dictate whether the officers acted appropriately or not and if any disciplinary action or additional training is deemed necessary.”

In addition to the crash and mistaken arrest, Harris, who was the manager on duty the night of the incident, said she lost her job.

Harris said Applebee’s fired her and blamed her for the videos circulating online and on television.

Harris said she has worked at the Kenosha Applebee’s for about 12 years. She said she hired attorney William Sulton to help her get her job back.

Sulton told WISN 12 News they are giving Applebee’s the opportunity to reinstate Harris, before they pursue legal action.

A manager at Applebee’s declined to comment to WISN 12 News on Wednesday.

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