Police departments and cities could save literally hundreds of millions of dollars every single year if they would just stop physically abusing and killing people. Guess they think it’s worth it to be “tough on crime…”
BOSSIP previously reported on a Brooklyn man who was violently beaten during a wrongful arrest inside a local liquor store. That man, Timothy Brown, is now taking legal action against the New York Police Department following an incident that was captured on video and widely circulated online. According to ABC News, Brown has filed a notice of claim signaling his intent to sue the city for $100 million in damages after the April 14 encounter.
Brown works as a home health aide and security guard and says he stopped at the store to buy wine after work when two plainclothes NYPD detectives approached him and abruptly attempted to arrest him. The officers allegedly failed to properly identify themselves before forcefully grabbing and assaulting him in front of stunned customers. The notice of claim accuses the officers of using “gratuitous and excessive force,” describing how Brown was slammed into a glass display, dragged through shattered bottles, and beaten for several minutes.
“What happened to me should not happen to anyone else. It was wrong and it was disgusting. My life will never be the same,” Brown, who was seen with an apparent limp in his walk, holding a cane, and wearing an arm brace, said Tuesday.
The violent encounter left Brown with significant injuries, including cuts, bruises, head trauma, and leg damage that now requires him to walk with a cane. He also suffered emotional distress, telling reporters he felt “humiliated, disrespected and embarrassed” and that the experience has permanently changed his life.
Police later acknowledged that Brown was not the suspect they were seeking (surprise, surprise). Officers had been investigating a narcotics transaction and mistakenly identified him based on a vague clothing description. No drugs or contraband were found on him at the scene. Despite this, Brown was initially charged with resisting arrest and obstruction. Those charges were ultimately dismissed by the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office.
Brown’s dispute claims that he resisted arrest, maintaining that he complied with officers while being attacked. The lawsuit alleges multiple violations, including false arrest, assault, and negligence. It also highlights that the detectives were not wearing body cameras, despite departmental policy requiring their use during such operations (again, shocking).
“I never resisted arrest, not at all,” he said. “There was nothing I could do, I was being beaten and battered.”
In response to the incident, the NYPD placed the two detectives on modified duty, stripping them of their badges and firearms while an internal investigation continues. The narcotics unit involved has reportedly been disbanded, and several officers reassigned. City officials, including the mayor and police commissioner, have described the video as disturbing and pledged a full review.
Brown and his legal team say the lawsuit is aimed at securing accountability and ensuring similar incidents do not happen again.