The family of a 14-year old from the Bronx sat anxiously beside their boy’s Jacobi Medical Center hospital bed as he recovered from injuries suffered at the hands of the NYPD. Earlier this month, the boy was shoved into a storefront window after officers of the New York Police Department had detained him. The glass shattered and Payne suffered multiple lacerations to his head and body. One piece of glass actually penetrated his chest cavity and pierced one of his lungs. Witnesses say this is just another case of police brutality in New York City.
Eye witnesses at the scene of the young man’s arrest said that an NYPD officer (an unnamed sergeant who arrived on scene after the boy had been apprehended) shoved the teenager into the window–while he was handcuffed. The altercation allegedly took place after Javier shouted an obscenity at officers. This would make it the first serious case of police brutality in New York since Commissioner William Bratton made it his goal to improve the public image of the NYPD.
However, the NYPD has a different story; that it appeared Javier tried to escape or at least run away from officers while being “transported” and fell into the window. That account of events doesn’t jibe with what one witness reported–that the sergeant grabbed Javier by the back of the neck and pushed him into the glass. Investigators are reportedly relying on surveillance camera footage of the altercation to prove what actually happened.
Javier and his friend were charged with assault, resisting arrest, and obstructing government administration after they allegedly punched a man for not giving them cigarettes. However, once in police custody, it is unclear exactly how or why Javier ended up face-first into the storefront window. The NYPD Bureau of Internal Affairs is investigating the incident and the officer in question has been temporarily assigned to desk duty until a conclusion is reached.
If you or a loved one has had your civil rights violated by officers of the NYPD, contact a New York City police brutality lawyer to discuss your case in complete confidence. Call the Law Offices of Nussin S. Fogel at or (212) 385-1122 for a free consultation.