Hmong Man Beat Down by Milwaukee Police after Drunk Stop

Calling it an "Asian Frank Jude" case, the attorney of a Hmong man with injuries to his face said on Wednesday that his client's condition is the result of police brutality.There's no denying that 39-year-old Koua Moua has injuries as the result of his arrest on Feb. 17 outside an apartment near North 63rd Street and West Florist Avenue, but whether those injuries were his fault, or that of police, remains an issue. 

Frank Jude is the Milwaukee man who was beaten by on and off-duty Milwaukee police officers outside a Bay View house party in 2004.

According to the criminal complaint, Moua was pulled over for drunken driving last month and began to drive off as an officer approached his vehicle. The officer struck Moua in an attempt to get him to stop and then pulled him from the car when he refused the officer's commands.

Moua's supporters said the man doesn't speak English.

"We believe this is a use of excessive force, which means police brutality has occurred or has happened to this Hmong man," said Kevin Her with the Hmong American Friendship Association.

Moua's attorney, Alan Eisenburg, said there was no justification for the stop or for the officer to strike Moua.
"Nobody should be treated this way," Eisenburg said. "If you have a large, armed police officer, and a 4 foot 10 or 11 tiny man, and you've already called for back-up, which, by the way, it (the criminal complaint) says he did, there's no reason why somebody should end up in this condition."

In a statement released Wednesday, police said Moua "repeatedly ignored the officer's commands to stop the vehicle and continued dragging the officer with the vehicle."

Police said "two independent eyewitnesses to the entire incident confirm this is what occurred."
A Milwaukee Police Department internal investigation found the officer's actions weren't criminal and were "necessary given the circumstances."

The officer was cleared of any wrongdoing, though a complaint is still pending with the Fire and Police Commission.

Unsatisfied, the Hmong American Friendship Association plans to rally hundreds of people Saturday morning at the District 4 headquarters of the Milwaukee Police Department. Among other demands, the group said they want the officer in question to lose his job. [MORE]

Charges against Moua are still pending, and Eisenburg said he plans to sue the city of Milwaukee.