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Milwaukee man with hand on man's neck in video charged
A Milwaukee man faces a disorderly conduct charge after police say he choked another man who lives with disabilities and has the "mental capacity of a 5-year-old," accusing him of stealing bikes.
MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee County prosecutors filed a misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge against a man they say is seen in a video with his hand around the neck of another man who lives with disabilities and has the "mental capacity of a 5-year-old."
This incident occurred on Oct. 10 near 25th and Becher.
According to a criminal complaint, police spoke with the defendant, Robert Walczykowski, 62, at the scene. He said he saw some "children" try to remove a bicycle from his neighbor's yard, and he claimed his neighbor told him to call police.
A witness said he saw a man "yelling at several children." He then said he saw Walczykowski with his hands on the throat of one of the kids, apparently choking him, accusing him of stealing a bicycle. This witness told Walczykowski to let the kid go and called the police, prosecutors say. The witness also recorded the video.
The victim was no longer on scene when police arrived, but investigators tracked him down two days later after his mother told police she wanted to turn over two bikes that "might be stolen." She said her son "possibly had something to do with it." The bikes she turned over had not been reported stolen to police, the complaint says.
She mentioned an incident involving a man grabbing her son by the neck over the taking of a bike. Her son was not injured, she said, adding that he is 25 years old but has the mental capacity of a 5-year-old. His mother told police "some kids on his block asked him to come with them so he could get a bike," according to prosecutors.
The complaint says it was difficult for the police to talk with the victim due to his disabilities and the fact that he is somewhat nonverbal. He was able to point to his neck and say "bikes."
Witness who recorded viral video felt compelled to intervene
Deangelo Wright said as a father, he felt compelled to protect the younger man. He said he started recording to protect himself and others.
"Let go of his neck. He's not going anywhere," Wright says in the video. "I'm recording. Let go of his neck. He's not going anywhere."
Wright said he was driving by when he said two men were in the middle of South 25th Street.
"I hurried up and got out my car and intervened as quick as possible to kind of figure out what was going on," said Wright.
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Wright said something didn't look right as the older man was holding the younger man's bike back and preventing him from leaving.
"I got his hand off of his neck and was just trying to understand what was going on," said Wright.
There was a protest held in the neighborhood shortly afterward.
"It don’t matter if that boy was yellow, purple or orange," said Wright. "I would have gotten out of that car to make sure he was OK."