Brooklyn law student arrested for questioning cops parked at a bus stop to buy food, sues city for false arrest


Tzvi Richt, 22, says he received two disorderly conduct summonses for questioning Officers Graham Brathwaite and Jason Pinero of the 61st Precinct who parked at a bus stop to get easy access to a food truck.

BY JOHN MARZULLI

Officers Graham Brathwaite and Jason Pinero of the NYPD 61st Precinct in Brooklyn are being sued for false arrest.
A Brooklyn law school student got a lesson in street justice from the NYPD after he complained cops chased a car from a bus stop — only to take the spot for themselves so they could buy food.
Tzvi Richt, 22, is suing the city and Officers Graham Brathwaite and Jason Pinero of the 61st Precinct for false arrest. He says he received two disorderly conduct summonses for merely questioning their actions.
Richt was apparently indignant that the cops had parked in the bus stop slot for easy access to a food truck and told them so “in a normal tone of voice, not yelling or shouting,” according to the suit filed in Brooklyn Federal Court.
After Richt didn’t heed Brathwaite’s advice to mind his own business, the cop demanded Richt’s identification. The law student was handcuffed after he questioned the legality of that request.
The summonses were later dismissed, but Brathwaite may soon learn a lesson of his own: He has been transferred to desk duty while the NYPD and Civilian Complaint Review Board investigate Richt’s claims, according to the suit.