Man arrested by suspended Metro sergeant on Strip speaks out

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) – We’re hearing from the man who was arrested on the Las Vegas Strip in May after the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said one of their sergeants hit him to get an aggressive response.

Suspended Metro Sgt. Kevin Menon, 42, faces charges in two separate criminal cases.

Marquise Brown spoke exclusively to Channel 13 about his arrest on the pedestrian bridge between Caesars Palace and Bellagio on May 3.
Brown, 31, is from Fresno, California, and had just moved to the Las Vegas valley a week before his arrest.

“I was walking down the bridge, enjoying my night,” Brown said. “All of a sudden I felt a hard shoulder blow on my right side.”

He told Channel 13 he moved to Las Vegas in hopes of turning over a new leaf.

“I graduated. I’ve never been in trouble,” Brown said. “I’ve got a driver’s license, I’ve got a clean record, like, I’m just trying to make an honest living for myself here.

surveillance video Footage from Bellagio appears to show Menon veering off the walkway to collide with Brown.

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“He looks like a pedestrian, but he looks angry. He looks angry. I don’t know what your problem is,” Brown said. “He turned around and raised his hand and said, ‘Do you have a problem?’ he said

Brown said he tried to record the situation and asked, “Do you have a problem?” He said he asked. When we returned to Menon, two officers arrested him.

He said he didn’t know Menon was a sergeant until he saw Channel 13 report the story.

It was Menon was indicted in October An indictment was indicted by a Clark County grand jury on various charges, including oppression in the name of law.

Surveillance video and Metro body camera footage were shown to the grand jury. During his arrest, Brown can be heard telling cops that another man hit him.

Officers Justin Candolesas and Stephen Cosaro handcuffed Brown that night and testified to the grand jury that they saw Brown openly carrying a knife, which is not allowed under Clark County ordinance.

WATCH | Bodycam footage shows Sgt. Menon’s questionable arrest tactics, more police testify

Bodycam footage shows Sgt. Menon’s questionable arrest tactics, more police testify

Both officers said Brown asked Menon, “Do you have a problem?” He said they heard him say. and was afraid Brown would fight.

But Brown said he was not a violent person and that the knife was an accessory he wore.

“Yes, I had a knife, but the knife wasn’t even for protection,” Brown said. “It’s actually a leather holder for a knife. And I basically use a side strap like cowboy style.

After his arrest, he was taken to jail and appeared in court the next day, Brown said. Brown was facing a misdemeanor charge of illegal weapons activity in the Strip corridor, but the charge was dropped in July, according to Las Vegas Justice Court records.

“The whole process from the moment I was arrested to the moment they released me was just a pain in the ass, man, a pain in the ass,” Brown said. “It was a long process. “It was a waste of time.”

Brown’s arrest was just one of many events shown to a grand jury in the case against Menon. The arrests were mostly of black men, according to police documents.

“I felt like I was being set up but targeted, that’s like a harsh word,” Brown said. “It’s just like the truth, yes, I was being targeted.”

Brown now wants justice to be served and hopes his side of the story can shed light.

“I didn’t want this situation to upset me. I wanted to learn from it, so I just focused and tried to move forward,” Brown said.

He said the experience changed his perspective on law enforcement in Las Vegas and he hopes other officers who worked with Menon will be held accountable.

“I feel like they are such a big part of this. They had as much involvement in this as the sergeant,” Brown said. “If they felt in their hearts that it was wrong in any way, they didn’t have to do it.”

No other officers on Menon’s Flex team are currently facing charges.

Menon will appear in court for the hearing on the criminal complaint against him on November 6.