On August 28, 2021, a black woman named Nikkita Brown was out for a late walk of her dog in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago when a police officer stopped her. Since she was out after hours, he told her she had to leave the area as soon as possible.

Brown obliged, but the officer began to drive behind her as she walked out of the park. Not long after, he got out of his cruiser and began to follow her closely.

Though Brown says she told the officer that she was leaving and walking away, the officer insisted on following her and becoming increasingly rude. She told him to respect her space, not only because of COVID (the officer was not wearing a mask), but because she felt he was too close to her after she agreed to leave the park.

At one point, Brown pulled out her phone in an attempt to call for help, and that’s when the officer began to attempt to tackle Brown. In a video captured by witnesses in the area, he appears to be restraining her by kicking her legs in and knocking her phone out of her hands.

“I thought I was going to die,” Brown said of the incident. “I thought he was going to kill me. I had it in my mind that I was going to be shot.”

Brown says that there were other people out after hours that night, but believes she was targeted due to her skin color.

“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 said. “If anything, I should feel even more protected by a police presence as a single woman walking at night, not be fearful that I’m going to die at the hands of an officer,” Brown said.

The case is currently being investigated by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA).

“We have a responsibility to investigate allegations of police misconduct and determine if they are well founded based on the facts and evidence of each case,” interim COPA chief Andrea Kersten said in a statement. “If violations did occur, COPA will hold the officer accountable.”

To see the disturbing footage and hear from Brown herself, check out the video below.

What do you think of how this incident occurred?