Yet another police brutality claim has been made against the New York Police Department–only this time, EMTs from the New York Fire Department actually witnessed and documented the violent incident, after having to intervene.
Today, the NYPD revealed that the Internal Affairs unit was looking into reports that two emergency medical technicians had to stop four police officers from punching a handcuffed man. The incident allegedly happened on July 20th, at the 67th Precinct station house in East Flatbush, Brooklyn.
NYFD had been called to the station house to help transport the victim, an emotionally disturbed man, to the hospital, after he became combative and began banging his head against the wall.
The victim was reported to be on a stretcher, shackled and handcuffed, when officers began repeatedly striking him, after he spit on the officers and swore at them. The officers’ response was to hit the already restrained man the face, pulling him off the stretcher, to the ground, and then hurling him back onto the stretcher.
The Daily News quoted an excerpt of the Fire Department’s report as saying: ”Pt. (patient) was struck in the face by an officer … pt. spit in the face of an officer, whereupon the officer punched the pt. in the face multiple times.”
According to the report, when the patient spit at the officer again, more officers began attacking.
“Three cops began to punch the patient in the face, EMS (had) to get in the middle of it to intervene. Pt’s wounds and injuries cleaned in the (ambulance),” the report read.
Stay classy, NYPD.
