A white police officer told a Black motorist to lick his own pee during a traffic stop over alleged public urination.
Marcus Mosley, 48, was tased and attacked by a Lynwood police dog after being accused of urinating on the side of a road. Since then, Mosley has sued the police department and two of its police officers for excessive force and false arrest. On May 17, 2019, Lynwood Police Officer Luke Tambrini pulled up behind Mosely’s car on the side of Glenwood Dyer Road at Torrence Avenue and accused him of public urination. Tambrini’s body-cam footage captured the entire incident.
The video footage starts with Tambrini asking Mosley to touch a puddle of water that is on the ground. Mosley complies, saying, “Sure, no problem.” Immediately after, Tambrini then tells the Indiana resident to “lick it.” Confused and caught off guard, Mosley tells the person he is on the phone with that he needs to record the situation. “I gotta record this,” Mosley can be heard saying. The cop then claims that if Mosley doesn’t lick it, that means the liquid on the ground must be urine because he is refusing to lick it. But Mosley responds, saying, “ Who’s going to lick dirt,” explaining that the liquid – which is on the ground – is filthy from the dirt. “Who’s gonna lick dirt?” Mosley replied, visibly upset. “You think ‘cause I’m black, I’m gonna sit here and touch some dirt, then lick it?”
Tambrini then asks Mosley for his identification, and Mosley explains that he doesn’t need to give his information because he has not committed a crime. The officer then threatens to arrest Mosley if he doesn’t comply; Mosley tells the cop that he will wait until Tambrini’s boss comes out to the scene. After a few seconds of back-and-forth, Tambrini then starts yelling at Mosley to comply with the arrest and then orders his K-9 on him after shooting him with a stun gun. Throughout the attack on Mosley, you can hear him saying he did nothing wrong and that the dog was biting him. “Please don’t have that dog bite me,” says Mosley.
After the incident, Mosley had to be taken to the hospital and treated for multiple bites to his arm and shoulder. He was subsequently charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, resisting a peace officer and obstructing a peace officer, among other things, according to his lawsuit. According to the Chicago Tribune, the aggravated unlawful assault use of a weapon comes from Mosley’s lawfully owned handgun that police found in his truck. Mosley says he is still suffering from emotional and physical trauma. “The video of the incident says it all…” Mosley said. “I did not break any laws.”
