Madison Police pay $27,000 in excessive force claim - WKOW 27: Madison, WI Breaking News, Weather and Sports

By Dan Cassuto - bio | email | Twitter | Facebook | Blog

MADISON (WKOW) -- In December 2006, two police officers from the City of Madison allegedly beat a man so badly the city later paid him $27,000.

Madison's Isthmus newspaper uncovered city insurance claim data that revealed the payment to Jacob Bauer.

Bauer was arrested at State Street Brats in downtown Madison.

A bar employee was so shaken by the use of police force against Bauer, she called 911.  She said it looked like police were about to kill him.

"They were kicking him in the head and stomping on his face," said Elissa Parker, the bartender who called police -- on police.  "There's blood everywhere and it's very Rodney King-esque."

In police reports obtained by 27 News, the officers say Bauer was resisting arrest and fighting back, even while on the ground.

Brats general manager Matt Goesch says he remembers seeing three people on top of Bauer that night, and remembers a "pool of blood" on the floor.  Goesch said he did not see any excessive use of force and thought police did their jobs properly.

The Madison Police Department did not respond to a request for an interview.

WKOW has also contacted the Madison Police Officers Association for comment.

You can read the Isthmus account by clicking here and visiting its website.  You can also listen to Parker's 911 call on the newspaper's website.