Complaint #201706120,
July 28, 2017

Officer: Mele, Evan
Complainant: Black Male, 30
Allegation: Force: Pepper spray
CCRB Conclusion: Substantiated (Command Discipline A)
Officer: Mele, Evan
Complainant: Black Female, 23
Allegation: Force: Pepper spray
CCRB Conclusion: Substantiated (Command Discipline A)
Officer: Mele, Evan
Complainant: Black Female, 23
Allegation: Force: Physical force
CCRB Conclusion: Unsubstantiated
Officer: Mele, Evan
Allegation: Force: Pepper spray
CCRB Conclusion: Substantiated (Command Discipline A)
Officer: Mele, Evan
Complainant: Male
Allegation: Force: Pepper spray
CCRB Conclusion: Substantiated (Command Discipline A)
Officer: Mele, Evan
Allegation: Force: Pepper spray
CCRB Conclusion: Substantiated (Command Discipline A)
Officer: Mele, Evan
Complainant: Male
Allegation: Force: Pepper spray
CCRB Conclusion: Substantiated (Command Discipline A)
Officer Complainant Allegation CCRB Conclusion
Mele, Evan Black Male, 30 Force: Pepper spray Substantiated (Command Discipline A)
Mele, Evan Black Female, 23 Force: Pepper spray Substantiated (Command Discipline A)
Mele, Evan Black Female, 23 Force: Physical force Unsubstantiated
Mele, Evan Force: Pepper spray Substantiated (Command Discipline A)
Mele, Evan Male Force: Pepper spray Substantiated (Command Discipline A)
Mele, Evan Force: Pepper spray Substantiated (Command Discipline A)
Mele, Evan Male Force: Pepper spray Substantiated (Command Discipline A)

Conclusion Meanings:

'Substantiated': The misconduct occurred and it violated the rules. The NYPD has discretion over what, if any, discipline is imposed.
'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.


Penalty

Mele, Evan
Command Discipline - A

Summary

At approximately 9:30 a.m. on July 28, 2017, [redacted] was waiting in a large crowd of people outside of the Nike store located at 21 Mercer Street in Manhattan. Also present in this crowd were [redacted] Is girlfriend), [redacted] and [redacted] was one of several security guards who were standing between the crowd and the entrance of the store. The crowd had formed in anticipation of the Nike store opening and selling a limited number of pairs of sneakers, which were widely expected to be profitable resale items.
Several NYPD units responded to reports about the crowd, including Police Officer Evan Mele and Police Officer Alexander Delgiorno of the 1st Precinct. After arriving on scene, Police Officer Mele waited and observed the crowd. When the store door was opened and members of the crowd rushed towards it, Police Officer Mele approached the edge of the crowd and deployed pepper spray that landed on [redacted] and others (Allegations A, B, C, D, E, and F). As he approached the crowd, deployed the spray, and was surrounded by people leaving the affected area, Police Officer Mele allegedly struck [redacted] abdomen with his arm (Allegation G). Read report for details.


Details

Incident: July 28, 2017
Closed: January 16, 2018

Reason for contact: PD suspected C/V of violation/crime - street
Location: Street/highway
In NYPD 1st Precinct Manhattan
Outcome: No arrest made or summons issued

Witness Officers: Alexander Delgiorno, Wilson Lozada, Diana Repetto, Eugene Schatz, Lauren Schleifer, Patrick Venetek, Michael Welsome
Video evidence collected