MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A day after the Memphis Police Department announced it was investigating a video that shows one of its officers beating a handcuffed suspect downtown, the victim’s brother responded.
Yasin Bashir’s family learned about his encounter with police from WREG Friday night.
“It made my momma cry, it made me cry, it made everybody cry,” said Zakaria Bashir, Yasin’s brother.
Bashir said his brother, who came to the U.S. from Somalia as a teenager, isn’t completely well.
“He’s not in a normal mindset. You feel me? Like, mentally, he’s not in there,” he said.
In the video, a Memphis police officer punches Yasin Bashir at least 15 times Thursday night as he lies handcuffed on the ground at the corner of Union Avenue and Second Street.
Police said they got involved because Bashir was panhandling aggressively and had attacked a Downtown Memphis Commission security officer who tried to stop him.
Things escalated from there.
When the video starts recording, Bashir is already lying on the ground. It shows officers lifting him up before he appears to flail or kick at them. At that point, one officer starts punching Bashir, pushing him back to the ground.
“He was taking his anger out on my brother. His own anger issues that he had taken out on my brother,” said Zakaria Bashir.
The blows continue as Yasin Bashir lies there and you can hear him wailing. It isn’t clear from the video, but police claim Bashir spat in an officer’s face.
You can hear an officer yell at him, “Don’t ever spit on me!”
“Come on, [expletive]. The man is down. You talking like you this big powerful man. Bruh, you not powerful, you sweet [expletive] [expletive],” Zakaria Bashir said.
“He’s not in a normal mindset. You feel me? Like, mentally, he’s not in there.” — Zakiria Bashir, on his brother Yasin
Memphis Police Director Michael Rallings announced Friday that his department was launching an investigation and would be reviewing officers’ body camera footage.
“I totally support his decision to send this to Internal Affairs even without a complaint from a citizen,” Mayor Jim Strickland told WREG when asked about the video Saturday.
But for a passionate and emotional brother, the solution seems a lot simpler.
“I feel like that officer should go and see me one-on-one without the uniform, bruh. We could box, man. Come on with that [expletive],” Zakaria Bashir said.
Zakaria Bashir offered thanks to the person who filmed the video. He said he wants all of the officers in the video to be fired.
Yasin Bashir was charged with aggressive panhandling and two counts of assault. He remains in jail on a $100 bond.
He’s due in court Monday morning.
