Complaint #202004031,
May 25, 2020

Summary

On May 25, 2020, at approximately 5:42 p.m., [redacted] and father, [redacted] were outside [redacted] in the Bronx with several other family members and friends getting ready for a barbecue. Police Officers Fatmir Gjonbalaj, Lauren Amin, and Gean Flores of PSA 7 approached the group after allegedly seeing [redacted] with a lit marijuana cigarette. PO Gjonbalaj and PO Amin briefly argued with the group, admonished them not to smoke marijuana around children, and then moved to reenter their vehicle and leave the scene. However, shortly thereafter, PO Gjonbalaj demanded [redacted] ID and then attempted to place him in custody when he claimed not to have an ID. The incident ultimately resulted in [redacted] arrest (BR 01) (Allegation A: Abuse of Authority, [redacted] PO Gjonbalaj threatened to use a Taser against [redacted] (Allegation B: Abuse of Authority, [redacted] PO Gjonbalaj punched [redacted] in the torso and head (Allegation C: Force, [redacted] PO Gjonbalaj told [redacted] "Give me your fucking hands" (Allegation D: Discourtesy, [redacted] PO Gjonbalaj deployed his Taser in cartridge mode against [redacted] (Allegation E: Force, [redacted] Additional officers arriving on scene, including Sergeant Jason Wells and Police Officers Catherine Dejesus, Joshua Espana, Brandon Gonzalez, Melvin Ventura, and Michael Deluna of PSA 7. Lieutenant Romaine Wilson of the 40th Precinct also eventually arrived on scene.
As officers cuffed [redacted] PO Dejesus approached [redacted] who was filming the incident, allegedly told him not to record, began attempting to arrest him, and punched him multiple times (Allegation F: Abuse of Authority, [redacted] Allegation G: Force, [redacted] During the ensuing struggle with [redacted] PO Dejesus called him a "motherfucker" (Allegation H: Discourtesy, [redacted] PO Dejesus also said to [redacted] "Fuck outta here, nigga" (Allegation I: Discourtesy, [redacted] Allegation J: Offensive Language, [redacted] Multiple officers forcibly brought [redacted] to the ground (Allegation K:... Read report for details.