What happens when a cop decides to use their MMA skills on an unsuspecting suspect? Needless to say, things don’t go so well for either man. That’s exactly what happened in Chicago when a police officer decided to body slam the man he was trying to apprehend. However, he didn’t expect to be caught on camera. But that’s exactly what happened.
The police officer in question is Jerald Williams. A member of Chicago PD’s Narcotics Unit, he was part of a high-grade unit in the city. Williams also fought four times as a professional MMA fighter. His last fight was for Bellator in 2012 and he retired with a record of 3-1.
However, Williams found himself in hot water following the incident you can see below. Allegedly the suspect spat at him. Then Williams responded by bodyslamming him onto the sidewalk. Chicago is notorious for its drug problem but it turns out you can’t do that to people in real life. Who knew?
Incident
Police encountered Bernard Kersh on 79th and Cottage Grove when the incident happened. They tried to serve him a ticket for drinking on the street when he allegedly spat and licked Williams’s face. Kersh absolutely denies this but in the bodycam footage, the officers can be overheard talking about it. Kersh later CBS2:
“I didn’t spit at no officer. I didn’t lick no officer’s face.”
Whether or not he did, one that definitely did happen is that he got smashed onto the sidewalk. Williams picked him up and absolutely drove him into the asphalt. That’s definitely one way to teach someone not to drink in public. Of course, this has caused a lot of trouble in Chicago where there are many cases of police brutality.
Bodycam
Chicago PD later investigated the incident. As you can see it, Williams wasn’t wearing a bodycam because narcotics officers don’t have to wear them. The footage was captured from a bodycam worn by another officer. There’s nothing to say that that officer intentionally made it available for their superiors to see. However, it definitely came back to bite Williams.
Alexa Van Brunt, legal director of the MacArthur Justice Center at Northwestern University, was interviewed about what happened in relation to other incidents in Chicago. She was emphatic that this sort of violence is pandemic and disproportionate. Well, that’s obvious. The guy is an MMA fighter. She said:
“The degree of, or lack of care shown to Kersh through the whole incident from start to finish, is really appalling.”
Dismissed
Following the investigation the Chicago PD dismissed Williams. Whether or not you agree with that decision, it’s fair to say the consequences definitely won’t be forgotten anytime soon. Perhaps he’ll go back into MMA to make some money. You’ve just got to be so careful how you interact with the public as a police officer. When he was a professional, his nickname was ‘Bacon and Eggs.’
Maybe he should change it to ‘The Hobo Crusher.’ You can almost feel sorry for him.
