2 New York City Officers Charged With Assaulting Teenager


By STEPHANIE CLIFFORD

The surveillance video starts with a 16-year-old running down a sidewalk in Brooklyn, with the police in pursuit.
The teenager, Kaheem Tribble, then slowed and faced an officer, Tyrane Isaac, who took a wild swing at his head. As another officer, David Afanador, approached, Mr. Tribble raised his hands; Officer Afanador swung his gun at the teenager’s mouth, breaking his teeth, prosecutors said.
The episode on Aug. 29 has led to criminal charges against the two officers, who were arraigned on Wednesday.
Officer Afanador, 33, was charged with felony-level assault, along with criminal possession of a weapon and official misconduct. Officer Isaac, 36, was charged with misconduct and misdemeanor assault.
“We had a 16-year-old boy with his hands up seeking to surrender who was attacked by members of the force who were supposed to protect him,” the Brooklyn district attorney, Kenneth P. Thompson, said. “When any police officer crosses the line, we have an obligation to hold them accountable.”
Charging an officer with criminal possession of a weapon is unusual, but Mr. Thompson said it was “appropriate” here. “The weapon was used to inflict injury,” he said. Mr. Tribble’s medical records showed at least two broken teeth.
The case was one of several instances in which alleged police violence or misconduct has been caught on video lately.
Prosecutors said they were alerted to the episode by the New York Police Department’s Internal Affairs Bureau. According to prosecutors, the officers were on duty in Crown Heights when they saw Mr. Tribble throw out a bag of marijuana and run away.
Mr. Tribble was charged with marijuana possession and disorderly conduct, prosecutors said. The marijuana charge was dropped and he pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct, which is a violation and not a felony.

The officers, both dressed in dark suits, did not speak at the hearing on Wednesday. They were released without bail.