In the latest excessive-force case to arise
from a videotape, two New York Police Department officers are under
investigation on allegations they beat down a teenager suspected of marijuana
possession after a foot chase, officials said Tuesday. A security camera tape
from Aug. 29 captured the 16-year-old slowing down on a Brooklyn sidewalk as
the officers caught up to him. The tape shows an officer, identified as Tyraine
Isaac, hitting the teen with a roundhouse punch. Seconds later, as the teen
backs away, raises his hands and leans against a wall, a second officer, David
Afanador, appears to hit him with his pistol. The beating continues until the
teen drops to the ground and is handcuffed. The NYPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau
and the Brooklyn district attorney’s office confirmed Tuesday that they are
investigating. Police said Afanador has been suspended and Isaac has been put
on desk duty pending the outcome. “What’s depicted on this video is troubling
and warrants a thorough investigation,” Brooklyn DA Kenneth Thompson said in a
statement. A police union official, Patrick Lynch, called the video misleading
because it doesn’t show how the teenage suspect was caught with drugs and tried
to get away. “As usual, the video fails to capture the offense that resulted in
police action or the lengthy foot pursuit that culminated in the arrest,” Lynch
said. “Situations like this one happen in real time under great stress. It’s
very easy to be judgmental in the comfort of an office while sitting in front
of a video screen.” Prosecutors said the teen ended up pleading guilty to
disorderly conduct and was released. The case comes after an uproar over the
death of an unarmed man, Eric Garner, during another videotaped arrest in July
on Staten Island. The medical examiner ruled that a banned chokehold used by
one of the arresting officers contributed to Garner’s death. Garner, who was
asthmatic, could be heard on the amateur video shouting, “I can’t breathe!” A
grand jury is hearing evidence to consider whether there should be criminal
charges brought in Garner’s death. Union officials insist the officer used an
authorized takedown move, not a chokehold. Last week, Police Commissioner
William Bratton warned that he’s taking steps to identify abusive officers and
kick them off the police force, the nation’s largest. The video of the teen’s
arrest was posted online Tuesday by the website DNAinfo. -
