Video shows six NYPD police officers handcuffed, beat, and pepper sprayed a 23-year old after frisking him on a noise complaint — and coming up empty.
Santiago Hernandez, 23, says on August 18 in the Bronx, an NYPD officer asked if she could frisk him, to which he agreed. “I turned around and put my hands up,” Hernandez says. When the search came up empty, Hernandez asked why he was searched — a legitimate question — and that’s when the situation turned ugly.
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“I’m like, ‘Miss what you doing? You are hurting my arm,'” Hernandez told ABC-7.
As both cell phone and surveillance video appear to confirm, Hernandez was immediately handcuffed. He was then brought down to the ground where up to six police officers, he says, took turn beating him and using pepper spray on him.
“She just was telling me to put my hands behind my back, but ‘I’m like trying to understand what are you are arresting me for. Can you please tell me?'” Hernandez tells ABC-7’s N.J. Burkett in the video below.
Moments later, half-a-dozen officers arrived and appeared to pile-on. Hernandez said he was punched, kicked, beaten with nightsticks, and blasted with pepper spray.
“They was taking turns on me. One kicks me, he steps back. Another one comes to punch me and he steps back. And another one comes and grabs my arm and hits me like 10 times with the baton. Another one comes and pepper sprayed me, they were taking turns like a gang,” Hernandez said.
Cell phone video showed Hernandez being dragged to a waiting patrol car.
Police officers reportedly showed up in response to a noise complaint.
He was charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, but even the Bronx District Attorney refused to prosecute the case.
Hernandez has an attorney and has filed a civilian complaint.
Watch this report from ABC-7 in NYC:
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An earlier version of this article incorrectly identified Santiago Hernandez as 20-years old. He is 23.
Hat tip: The Raw Story