Complaint #201807286,
September 2, 2018

Officer: Chau, Alan
Complainant: Female, 23
Allegation: Force: Physical force
CCRB Conclusion: Unsubstantiated
Officer: Chau, Alan
Allegation: Abuse of Authority: Entry of Premises
CCRB Conclusion: Unsubstantiated
Officer: Unknown Officer
Complainant: Black Male, 40-44
Allegation: Force: Physical force
CCRB Conclusion: Officer(s) Unidentified
Officer: Unknown Officer
Allegation: Force: Physical force
CCRB Conclusion: Officer(s) Unidentified
Officer: Unknown Officer
Complainant: Black Male, 40-44
Allegation: Discourtesy: Word
CCRB Conclusion: Officer(s) Unidentified
Officer: Chau, Alan
Complainant: Female, 23
Allegation: Abuse of Authority: Interference with recording
CCRB Conclusion: Exonerated
Officer: Chau, Alan
Complainant: Black Female, 44
Allegation: Abuse of Authority: Seizure of property
CCRB Conclusion: Exonerated
Officer: Unknown Officer
Complainant: Black Male, 40-44
Allegation: Abuse of Authority: Threat of arrest
CCRB Conclusion: Officer(s) Unidentified
Officer: Nemeth, John
Complainant: Male, 19
Allegation: Force: Physical force
CCRB Conclusion: Alleged Victim Uncooperative
Officer: Unknown Officer
Complainant: Black Female, 40-44
Allegation: Force: Physical force
CCRB Conclusion: Unfounded
Officer: Vanbrakle, Miguel
Complainant: Female, 24
Allegation: Force: Pepper spray
CCRB Conclusion: Unsubstantiated
Officer: Vanbrakle, Miguel
Complainant: Age 23
Allegation: Force: Pepper spray
CCRB Conclusion: Unsubstantiated
Officer: Vanbrakle, Miguel
Complainant: Male, 21
Allegation: Force: Pepper spray
CCRB Conclusion: Unsubstantiated
Officer: Vanbrakle, Miguel
Allegation: Force: Pepper spray
CCRB Conclusion: Unsubstantiated
Officer: Chau, Alan
Complainant: Black Female, 44
Allegation: Abuse of Authority: Search of Premises
CCRB Conclusion: Unsubstantiated
Officer: Unknown Officer
Complainant: Black Female, 40-44
Allegation: Force: Pepper spray
CCRB Conclusion: Unsubstantiated
Officer: Spagnuolo, Michael
Complainant: Black Male, 44
Allegation: Discourtesy: Word
CCRB Conclusion: Exonerated
Officer: Unknown Officer
Allegation: Discourtesy: Word
CCRB Conclusion: Officer(s) Unidentified
Officer Complainant Allegation CCRB Conclusion
Chau, Alan Female, 23 Force: Physical force Unsubstantiated
Chau, Alan Abuse of Authority: Entry of Premises Unsubstantiated
Unknown Officer Black Male, 40-44 Force: Physical force Officer(s) Unidentified
Unknown Officer Force: Physical force Officer(s) Unidentified
Unknown Officer Black Male, 40-44 Discourtesy: Word Officer(s) Unidentified
Chau, Alan Female, 23 Abuse of Authority: Interference with recording Exonerated
Chau, Alan Black Female, 44 Abuse of Authority: Seizure of property Exonerated
Unknown Officer Black Male, 40-44 Abuse of Authority: Threat of arrest Officer(s) Unidentified
Nemeth, John Male, 19 Force: Physical force Alleged Victim Uncooperative
Unknown Officer Black Female, 40-44 Force: Physical force Unfounded
Vanbrakle, Miguel Female, 24 Force: Pepper spray Unsubstantiated
Vanbrakle, Miguel Age 23 Force: Pepper spray Unsubstantiated
Vanbrakle, Miguel Male, 21 Force: Pepper spray Unsubstantiated
Vanbrakle, Miguel Force: Pepper spray Unsubstantiated
Chau, Alan Black Female, 44 Abuse of Authority: Search of Premises Unsubstantiated
Unknown Officer Black Female, 40-44 Force: Pepper spray Unsubstantiated
Spagnuolo, Michael Black Male, 44 Discourtesy: Word Exonerated
Unknown Officer Discourtesy: Word Officer(s) Unidentified

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.
'Officer(s) Unidentified': Unable to identify the officers who committed the alleged misconduct
'Unfounded': Evidence suggests that the event or alleged conduct did not occur.
'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 September 2, 2018, at approximately 4:00 AM, officers of the 67th Precinct, led by Sgt. Alan Chau of the 67th Precinct, entered the backyard of [redacted] in Brooklyn, where a party was taking place (Allegation A, Abuse of Authority: [redacted]). Officers allegedly told civilians to "get the fuck out" of the location and pushed individuals to force them to leave (Allegation B, Discourtesy: [redacted] Allegation C, Force: [redacted]). An officer allegedly told [redacted] that he could be arrested for assault following an interaction with officers (Allegation D, Abuse of Authority: [redacted]). Lt. Michael Spagnuolo of the 67th Precinct instructed [redacted] to leave the premises, ultimately stating, "Get the fuck out of the yard now," (Allegation E, Discourtesy: [redacted]). An officer then allegedly twisted [redacted] arm behind his back, escorted him to the front of the property, and pushed him out of the front yard (Allegation F, Force: [redacted]). The same officer then allegedly said, "Get the fuck out," (Allegation G, Discourtesy: [redacted]). Simultaneously, PO John Nemeth of the 67th Precinct took [redacted] to the ground following a physical struggle between him and officers (Allegation H, Force: [redacted]). Shortly thereafter, as [redacted] attempted to record video of the incident, Sgt. Chau allegedly twisted her arm to force her to stop recording (Allegation I, Force: [redacted] Allegation J, Abuse of Authority: [redacted]). As [redacted] was arrested and escorted to a police vehicle, PO Miguel Vanbrakle of the 67th Precinct used Oleoresin Capsicum (OC) spray, hereafter referred to as pepper spray, against several individuals in a crowd, including [redacted] and [redacted] (Allegations K-N, Force: [redacted]). Sgt. Chau then instructed several officers to search behind a bar area, including inside several containers, and seize all of the alcohol found (Allegation O, Abuse of Authority: [redacted] Allegation P, Abuse of Authority: [redacted]). Simultaneously, at the front of the property, while... Read report for details.


Details

Incident: September 2, 2018
Received: September 4, 2018
Closed: January 27, 2020

Location: Apartment/house
In NYPD 67th Precinct Brooklyn
Outcome: Arrest - other violation/crime

Witness Officers: Mansoor Ali, Amine Azeddine, Daniel Collura, Robert Falcone, Delio Fernandez, Denis Gamez, Ihab Ginem, Christopher Goetz, Deirdre Kelleher, Ricardo Martinez, Trevor Neal, Pedro Ruiz
Body-Worn Camera evidence collected
Video evidence collected