New York City forks out $600K+ over police excessive force

The city of New York is to pay out over $600,000 in damages in a case that charged NYPD officers with using excessive force, unlawful arrest and making false statements when they arrested a teenager.

The settlement stems from a 2012 incident that started when police officers from the 42nd Precinct in the South Bronx illegally stopped and frisked Jateik Reed, then 19 years old.

The lawsuit also included wrongful arrest charges brought against the officers for the arrest of his mother, Schwan Reed, her three-year old son Jaiyer Johnson, friends Jashwan Walker, friend William Reid, and pepper-spraying Trevor Nigel when they arrived at the precinct looking for Jateik.

“The 42nd Precinct has been doing corrupt things for years,” Schwan Reed, Jateilk Reed’s mother, told reporters on announcing the news of the settlement. “I think the officers should lose their jobs for beating my son because he didn’t do nothing wrong. If they had not taken that videotape, who knows how long he would have had to spend in jail because it was his word against theirs.”

Video from the arrest shows one officer frisking Reed, then four, at time five officers repeatedly beating with Reed with their fists, feet and a baton before one officer pepper-sprays Reed’s friend, Trevor Nigel for filming the arrest. Officers initially claimed they stopped Reed as he was seen visibly carrying marijuana and crack.

Following the arrest Reed’s family and friends went to the precinct to check on him where they were subsequently arrested including Reed’s three-year old brother.

Jateik Reed was initially charged with seven different charges including felony assault on an officer, menacing, alleged possession of crack and marijuana, before the Bronx District Attorney dropped the charges but failed the charge the police officers with using excessive force or wrongful arrest.

Reed’s attorney filed a civil suit citing excessive force, wrongful arrest suit against the city, and who claimed Reed was further assault in the police van and in the precinct as well as being pepper-sprayed.

“The Police Department’s line on this is ‘It’s a done deal’ and that they’ve disciplined the officers involved. All that’s happened is that four officers were temporarily placed on modified duty,” said Gideon Olive, one of family’s attorneys told reporters on Friday.

“There is clear evidence in the video which completely contradicts the statements the officers made in the charging documents, prosecutors charge officers for far less, so to say that what the police department has done here has anything to do with any accountability is laughable.”

The family is still seeking accountability from the New York Police Department and wanting the officers involved to be fired.

The total amount of the settlement if $614,500. Unusually in this case, some of the police officers will be contributing to the settlement. Detective Robert Jaquez, who pepper-sprayed Nigel, will be forced to pay $500 in the settlement. Sergeant Alfousina Delacruz will pay $5,000 as part of the settlement.

Mass Appeal reported Detective Jaquez has been sued twice before for illegal stop and frisks that escalated to false arrests, and in another incident where he pepper-sprayed a bystander filming the incident.