NYPD cops under criminal investigation after punching, pistol-whipping teen suspect
Caught on surveillance camera two New York Police officers are being investigated for punching and using a gun to bash a teenage African-American boy.
The surveillance footage, obtained by “On The Inside" DNAinfo New York, shows a teenager, Kahreem Tribble, being punched and pistol-whipped by two officers. The incident occurred August 29.
The video shows Tribble, 16, running, then stopping, as a police officer approaches him and throws a punch to his face.
The boy raises his hands. The one of the policemen pushes him against a storefront gate when a second officer arrives with his gun pointed at Tribble. Then the officer beats him with the gun around the head before returning it to his holster.
READ MORE: Baltimore cop sued for millions after police brutality video surfaces
Officers retrieve a bag that the teenager has on him. A third office arrives, while the remaining officer punches Tribble again, pushes him on his stomach and cuffs him.
The video ends with the returning officer waving the bag in front of the suspect’s face and smacking him with it as a third officer comes up.
“What’s depicted on this video is troubling and warrants a
thorough investigation,” Brooklyn DA Thompson told DNAinfo.
Tribble was arrested for possessing 17 small bags of marijuana
and disorderly conduct. He appeared in court with cracked teeth
and bruises, and pleaded guilty to the violation. His lawyer told
DNAinfo that she plans to file a federal civil rights lawsuit
against the officers and the NYPD.
READ MORE: New York man claims police brutally beat him in incident caught on video
Talking to reporters on Tuesday, Mayor Bill de Blasio said: “Clearly, Commissioner Bratton has seen the video and reacted very aggressively in the sense of saying there have to be consequences when anything is done the wrong way. I see these videos as another piece of information that we need to use to improve the relationship between police and community and in many cases to heal the relationship between police and community.”
The officers from the 79th Precinct in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, are at the center of criminal investigation by the NYPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau, and Brooklyn District Attorney Kenneth Thompson.
They claim they thought the teen had a gun. One officer has been suspended without pay during the investigation, and the other officer stripped of his badge and gun, and placed on modified duty, Rawstory.com reported.
READ MORE: NYPD to test body cameras on officers this fall
