Dramatic moment cop body slams man and knocks him unconscious after he 'licked the officer's face and spat in his eye'
A Chicago police officer is being investigated after cell phone video showed him body-slamming a man who allegedly resisted arrest by licking the officer's face, threatening him, and spitting in his eye and mouth.
In the 43-second video captured by a nearby witness, the officer is seen pushing a man up against a car near a bus stop in the Chatham section of Chicago on Thursday afternoon.
The man in the video was identified by his mother as Bernard Kersh, according to WLS-TV.
The officer is seen in the video lifting Kersh up into the air and violently body slamming him to the ground.
A woman recorded cell phone video of a police officer making an arrest near a bus stop in the Chatham section of Chicago at around 4pm on Thursday
The video shows the officer lift the man off the pavement (left) and then body slam him to the curb (right)
Witnesses nearby gasped in horror as the man lay motionless after apparently hitting his head on the curb
The officers summoned paramedics, who rushed the man to a nearby hospital, where he was listed in stable condition
Kersh's head hit the sidewalk curb in front of a bus stop, according to the Chicago Tribune.
In the video, witnesses can be heard reacting in horror as Kersh lay motionless on the sidewalk.
Law enforcement officials say that they observed Kersh drinking an alcoholic beverage inside a bus stop at around 4pm on Thursday.
When officers approached him, Kersh became 'irate', according to USA Today.
He then allegedly licked an officer's face and verbally threatened him.
Authorities say Kersh then spat in the officer's eye and mouth.
The officer responded with 'an emergency take down,' law enforcement officials said.
The man being body slammed in the video has been identified by his mother as Bernard Kersh (seen above). Since 2012, Kersh has been arrested at least 19 times for crimes which include assault and battery
When they noticed Kersh was injured on the sidewalk, officers summoned paramedics, who rushed him to University of Chicago Hospital.
He was listed in stable condition.
The officer, a 32-year-old who has not been identified, also went to the hospital for evaluation.
The video was posted to Facebook on Thursday by Jovonna Alexiss Jamison.
As of Friday afternoon, the video generated 19,000 shares.
'I Pray To God That Boy Not Dead,' Jamison wrote in the caption.
'I was nervous,' Jamison, 22, told the Tribune.
'I was scared. I was hoping this young man was okay.'
According to Jamison, the officer approached Kersh and snatched his beer away.
Moments later, Kersh, who was on the phone when the officer approached, was slammed into the curb.
Jamison said witnessing the incident left her 'hysterical'.
'I'm not really surprised because it happens so much in Chicago, but I didn't think I would ever see it front and center,' Jamison said.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot responded to the outcry after video of the incident went viral on social media. The mayor said the matter is being investigated by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability
Kersh has a lengthy criminal record. In January of last year, he was arrested for trespassing and assaulting a police officer.
Since 2012, he has been arrested at least 19 times for a number of offenses, including battery and assault.
Kersh's mother, Keshia Johnson, said Kersh is a father of two young girls.
She wants the officer to be held accountable for what happened.
'He could have died from that hit on the head. Thank God he is still here but anything could have happened,' she said.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot said in a statement that the investigation 'will be comprehensive and expedited so that the public may gain a complete picture of what happened.'
'While a single video does not depict the entirety of the interactions between the police and the individual, this particular video is very disturbing,' Lightfoot said.
Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi called the officer's actions 'concerning.'
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability is investigating. Police say charges are pending against the man.
COPA released a statement saying it was 'actively seeking witnesses, canvassing for 3rd party video and obtaining evidence related to this incident.'
Dramatic moment cop body slams man and knocks him unconscious after he 'licked the officer's face and spat in his eye'
![Dramatic moment cop body slams man and knocks him unconscious after he 'licked the officer's face and spat in his eye']()
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November 30, 2019
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