Complaint #202002052,
March 5, 2020

Summary

On March 5, 2020, at approximately 11:45 p.m., [redacted] parked across the street from his house at [redacted], and he exited his car and reached into the back seat to retrieve his backpack. A team of officers led by Lieutenant Forrest Hirsch of Patrol Borough Brooklyn North Public Safety drove up to [redacted] Sergeant Gabriel Cuevas allegedly asked [redacted] if he wanted cocaine or knew where to buy cocaine (Allegations A and B – Abuse of Authority: Question, [redacted] said no. Police Officer Nicki Canady exited the police vehicle, grabbed [redacted]s arms, and placed him against a fence (Allegations C and D – Abuse of Authority: Stop, [redacted] Police Officer Trimarchi searched the car's back seat without [redacted]s consent (Allegation E and F – Abuse of Authority: Vehicle Search, [redacted] verbally protested the stop and attempted to wiggle his arms free from the officers' grip. Sergeant Cuevas allegedly choked [redacted] by grabbing and applying pressure to the front of his neck, and lifted [redacted] off the ground by his neck with one hand (Allegations G, H, and I – Force: Chokehold, Restricted Breathing, Physical Force; [redacted]). The officers released [redacted] without a summons. [redacted] asked Sergeant Cuevas for his name and shield number, but he allegedly did not respond (Allegations J and K – Abuse of Authority: Refusal to Provide Name/Shield Number, [redacted]). The officers did not provide any business cards to [redacted] (Allegations L and M – Abuse of Authority: Failure to Provide RTKA Card; [redacted]). Read report for details.