Complaint #201402594,
March 12, 2014

Officer: Lewis, Matthew
Complainant: Black Male, 30
Allegation: Force: Physical force
CCRB Conclusion: Unsubstantiated
Officer: Lewis, Matthew
Allegation: Abuse of Authority: Premises entered and/or searched
CCRB Conclusion: Exonerated
Officer: Ward, Christopher
Allegation: Abuse of Authority: Premises entered and/or searched
CCRB Conclusion: Exonerated
Officer: Ward, Christopher
Complainant: Black Male, 30
Allegation: Discourtesy: Word
CCRB Conclusion: Unsubstantiated
Officer: Lewis, Matthew
Complainant: Black Male, 30
Allegation: Force: Gun Pointed
CCRB Conclusion: Unsubstantiated
Officer: Lewis, Matthew
Complainant: Black Male, 30
Allegation: Force: Chokehold
CCRB Conclusion: Unsubstantiated
Officer: Reo, Thomas
Complainant: Black Male, 30
Allegation: Offensive Language: Race
CCRB Conclusion: Unsubstantiated
Recategorized as: Offensive Language: Other
Officer: Reo, Thomas
Complainant: Black Male, 30
Allegation: Force: Physical force
CCRB Conclusion: Unsubstantiated
Officer: Reo, Thomas
Complainant: Black Male, 30
Allegation: Discourtesy: Word
CCRB Conclusion: Unsubstantiated
Officer: Ward, Christopher
Complainant: Black Male, 30
Allegation: Force: Physical force
CCRB Conclusion: Unsubstantiated
Officer: Lewis, Matthew
Complainant: Black Male, 30
Allegation: Discourtesy: Word
CCRB Conclusion: Unsubstantiated
Officer: Lewis, Matthew
Complainant: Black Male, 30
Allegation: Force: Other
CCRB Conclusion: Unsubstantiated
Officer: Reo, Thomas
Allegation: Abuse of Authority: Premises entered and/or searched
CCRB Conclusion: Exonerated
Officer: Reo, Thomas
Complainant: Black Male, 30
Allegation: Abuse of Authority: Threat of force (verbal or physical)
CCRB Conclusion: Unsubstantiated
Officer: Lewis, Matthew
Complainant: Black Male, 30
Allegation: Force: Gun as club
CCRB Conclusion: Unsubstantiated
Officer: Ward, Christopher
Allegation: Abuse of Authority: Premises entered and/or searched
CCRB Conclusion: Unsubstantiated
Officer: Oconnor, Christopher
Complainant: Black Male, 30
Allegation: Discourtesy: Word
CCRB Conclusion: Unsubstantiated
Officer: Lewis, Matthew
Allegation: Abuse of Authority: Premises entered and/or searched
CCRB Conclusion: Unsubstantiated
Officer Complainant Allegation CCRB Conclusion
Lewis, Matthew Black Male, 30 Force: Physical force Unsubstantiated
Lewis, Matthew Abuse of Authority: Premises entered and/or searched Exonerated
Ward, Christopher Abuse of Authority: Premises entered and/or searched Exonerated
Ward, Christopher Black Male, 30 Discourtesy: Word Unsubstantiated
Lewis, Matthew Black Male, 30 Force: Gun Pointed Unsubstantiated
Lewis, Matthew Black Male, 30 Force: Chokehold Unsubstantiated
Reo, Thomas Black Male, 30 Offensive Language: Race Unsubstantiated
Recategorized as Offensive Language: Other on December 9, 2024
Reo, Thomas Black Male, 30 Force: Physical force Unsubstantiated
Reo, Thomas Black Male, 30 Discourtesy: Word Unsubstantiated
Ward, Christopher Black Male, 30 Force: Physical force Unsubstantiated
Lewis, Matthew Black Male, 30 Discourtesy: Word Unsubstantiated
Lewis, Matthew Black Male, 30 Force: Other Unsubstantiated
Reo, Thomas Abuse of Authority: Premises entered and/or searched Exonerated
Reo, Thomas Black Male, 30 Abuse of Authority: Threat of force (verbal or physical) Unsubstantiated
Lewis, Matthew Black Male, 30 Force: Gun as club Unsubstantiated
Ward, Christopher Abuse of Authority: Premises entered and/or searched Unsubstantiated
Oconnor, Christopher Black Male, 30 Discourtesy: Word Unsubstantiated
Lewis, Matthew Abuse of Authority: Premises entered and/or searched Unsubstantiated

Conclusion Meanings:

'Exonerated': or 'Within NYPD Guidelines' - The conduct occurred but did not violate the NYPD's own rules, which often give officers significant discretion.
'Unsubstantiated': or 'Unable to Determine' - The alleged conduct was investigated but could not determine both that the conduct occurred and that it broke the rules.

Further details on conclusions.


Summary

On March 12, 2014, at approximately 3:30 p.m., [redacted] left his friend [redacted] house, located at [redacted] in Queens, to buy rolling paper for marijuana. Shortly after leaving, he realized that he only had a $20 bill, so he decided to return in order to retrieve smaller bills. [redacted] entered the side door of the house and was about to proceed downstairs to the basement level where [redacted] lives. [redacted] was not present at the time of the incident, but her brother [redacted] was present in the upper level of the house.
Immediately after [redacted] closed the side door, he heard a boom and felt someone trying to push the door open, so he held the door to prevent a forced entry. A male, later identified as PO Matthew Lewis of the 113th Precinct, said, "This motherfucker, he's holding the fucking door. Just open the fucking door" (Allegation A).
[redacted] opened the door and saw three officers: PO Lewis, PO Thomas Reo, and Sgt. Christopher Ward of the 113th Precinct. PO Lewis grabbed [redacted] by the throat with his left hand and pushed his way into the house, followed by Sgt. Ward and PO Reo (Allegations B, C, and D). This action restricted [redacted] breathing for a few seconds (Allegations E and F). PO Lewis held the front collar of [redacted] shirt and forced him down to the basement level. At the bottom of the stairwell, [redacted] fell onto his back and held his hands in front of his face. [redacted] yelled, "Yo Lewis, what you doing?" PO Lewis responded, "Shut the fuck up" (Allegation A) and then punched [redacted] three to four times in the right side of the face (Allegation G).
PO Reo and Sgt. Ward handcuffed [redacted] at which point PO Reo threatened to "fucking kill" him (Allegation H). Either PO Reo or Sgt. Ward, [redacted] was unsure who, kicked [redacted] in between the left ear and left eye (subsumed in Allegations I and N). PO Lewis searched [redacted] and recovered marijuana. He asked "whose fucking weed" it was, and [redacted] said it was his (Allegation A). PO Lewis then... Read report for details.


Details

Incident: March 12, 2014
Received: March 18, 2014
Closed: March 24, 2015
Last Updated: December 11, 2024

Reason for contact: Execution of arrest/bench warrant
Location: Public space/building
In NYPD 113th Precinct Queens
Outcome: Arrest - other violation/crime