CAUGHT ON CAM: Cell phone video prompts questions about police take-down

GREEN BAY (WITI) -- For the first time, Green Bay police are talking about cell phone video that has gone viral. The video shows one of its officers taking down a man after bar close.

Police are promising a thorough and transparent investigation.

Also speaking out is the man who claims to be the one taken down in the video.

The video was posted on Monday, April 21st -- and quickly spread online.

Green Bay police say the officer shown taking down a man in the video is still on active duty. However, they say the department's Professional Standards Division is looking at the video and others to see if the officer acted inappropriately.

"Initially, it looks like it just started as a normal incident -- a minor violation that occurred downtown that began to escalate when people were leaving taverns at the same time this was taking place," Green Bay Police Captain Bill Galvin said.

Galvin says three people were arrested.

The first person was arrested for having an open drink outside a bar.

Joshua Wenzel of Caledonia says he was the third person arrested, and is the one taken down in the video.

Wenzel says he didn't step toward the officer or touch him. Wenzel says he doesn't know the officer's reasoning or logic.

Green Bay Police Captain Bill Galvin says swearing at an officer isn't necessarily enough to be arrested for disorderly conduct --  unless the cursing causes the situation to become dangerous.

As for whether the person in the video fell under that rule, Galvin says:

"I'm not going to comment on that at this time because we haven't finished that investigation and obviously if he was arrested for that, that's something that would have to be adjudicated through the court system," Galvin said.

Wenzel says he was drinking leading up to this incident, but says he doesn't believe it impacted what happened.

Galvin says the police department is not publicly identifying the officers seen in the video -- and he says he doesn't know when the investigation will be complete.