St. Paul, Minneapolis – African-American Chris Lollie had wrapped up his shift at a nearby restaurant at the skyway and had some time to kill before it was time to meet up with his children on their way home from school. He seated himself at which time he was approached by the employee of a nearby restaurant and asked to leave. He was told he was seated in space reserved for employees, but he pointed out there was no sign or marking to that effect. The employee phoned police and that is where things began to get out of hand.
The first officer to engage Lollie was a female and the conversation remained relatively calm. In the spirit of pride, Lollie, who suspected race was playing a role in the whole matter, held his ground that he was doing nothing wrong. Upon the arrival of a white male officer, Lollie was told he would be arrested. He challenged the officer once again affirming he had done nothing wrong. When he refused to put his hands behind his head and allow himself to be taken into custody, he was tased. It turns out that he was tased in front of his own children.
An exasperated Lollie cries out that his children were present. In the end, he was charged with three minor offenses, but all of them were dismissed in court.
The local police department has circled the wagons on the officer and refuses to conduct an investigation. The video is disturbing due to the excessive force used and the fact that the man in question would likely never have been harassed had he been white.