Chicago Police Officer Seen On Video Struggling With Woman Walking Dog Has Resigned
Nearly a year after Chicago Officer Bruce Dyker was seen in an August 2021 video struggling with Nikkita Brown and her dog, he has now resigned.
According to CBS News, a Chicago Police spokesperson confirmed Dyker left the department in May and now has officially resigned after 23 years. The outlet also reports Dyker has had some 24 misconduct allegations against him. Three of those were sustained and resulted in discipline. Two were for neglect of duty and another involved an off-duty incident in Tennessee.
In a September 2021 interview with ABC’s Good Morning America, Brown said she was walking her dog in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood when the officer told her to leave because the park was closed. Although she was complying with the order, the officer drove behind her as she walked out of the park, according to Brown.
After getting out of his car, the cop said, “You can go to jail,” he’s heard saying on a video that Brown recorded on her cell phone, adding that she would never see her dog again. Brown told GMA that she also took out her phone to get help.
She wanted to “at least leave a voicemail and say, 'if you call me in the morning and you don't reach me, I'm in jail, or worse,’” if no one answered her call.
She asked that the unmasked officer keep his distance because of the coronavirus pandemic. In a 22-second cell phone video captured by Brown, she films the officer walking toward her as she requests, "Please, respect my space. It’s COVID. Six feet. You do not have a mask on."
Another video shared with Brown’s attorney, Keenan Saulter, was taken by bystanders. The footage shows the officer placing his arms around Brown and manhandling and tossing her around on the beach while causing Brown’s pet dog to be yanked by its leash.
The audio appears to have recorded a pair of men trying to convince the officer to stop his treatment of Brown with one man yelling, ”Hey, chill out! Let her go! Relax!"
Brown suspected that race played a role in the violent encounter.
"I walked past four kids that were behind me… white males. As soon as I saw the car pull up, I looked behind me to see if he said anything to the kids. He didn't," Brown stated.
See the news brief below, which includes a video of the altercation:
