'Despicable:' Attorney, officials speak out after arrest of Alvin Cole's mother and sisters
WAUWATOSA, Wis. (CBS 58) -- The attorney for the family of Alvin Cole, a 17-year-old shot and killed by a Wauwatosa police officer, held a news conference Friday, Oct. 9, following the arrest of members of the Cole family.
Kimberley Motley, Alvin Cole’s family attorney, preparing to speak about overnight arrests. #Wauwatosapic.twitter.com/Ef59b4mfwQ
— Winnie Marie (@WinnieMarieNEWS) October 9, 2020
2:00p.m. Press Conference TODAY regarding the OUTRAGEOUS arrest and abuse of Tracy Cole, and her daughters Taleavia, Tristiana, & Tahudah yesterday
— Kimberley Motley - Views expressed I own :-) (@KimMotleysLaw) October 9, 2020
Location in Wauwatosa To Be Determined
The family was protesting the district attorney's decision not to charge Officer Joseph Mensah in the deadly shooting of Cole.
Video shows Waukesha County Sheriff's Office squad cars blocking off every entrance of the department as people waited for those being held in jail to be released.
Among the two dozen people arrested Thursday night, were Cole's mother and three of his sisters. Much of it was caught on Facebook Live.
Alvin Cole’s sister, Tahudah, went on Facebook Live the moment police approached them. In the video, you can hear her mother, Tracy, as she was being arrested for breaking curfew.
"I’m Mrs. Cole take your hands off of me," Tracy is heard saying in the video.
Tracy, along with her daughters Tahudah, Tristiana and Teleavia, joined the protests Thursday night.
"It just escalated so fast," Teleavia said. Teleavia described Thursday night's turn of events as outrageous and scary.
Teleavia says the family was peacefully protesting, riding in their car as part of the caravan. That’s when police approached them.
"A cop came to my car and tried to bust out my windows and open the door and put a gun to my head," Cole said. "He grabbed me, put me on the ground, and next thing you know, three other cops just came, got on me and put their knee all in me."
The Cole family attorney, Kimberley Motley, says they are now looking into another potential lawsuit after the arrests.
"That was not a legal arrest, and if it was, they would have charged them and if they choose to do it moving forward, that's retaliatory," Motley said.
She is demanding the Wauwatosa Police Department not erase any video from Thursday night's arrest, because she says they need all the evidence they can get to fight back.
"We are here today partially to serve the Wauwatosa Police Department our preservation letter, we don't want any evidence to be destroyed," said Motley. "What happened last night was a complete violation of constitutional rights."
Motley says they are working on more documents that will be sent out next week.
Tahudah was arrested and taken to the West Allis Police Department before being released. Teleavia was at the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Office. Both sisters say they won’t stop fighting for justice.
Tracy and her other daughter, Tristiana, were arrested and taken to the hospital. Both were also released in the early morning hours Friday.
The family says Tracy thankfully was not tased. Her arm was also not broken but she did leave the hospital with her arm in a sling.