STATEN ISLAND, New York (WABC) — A Staten Island family and local NAACP leaders are calling for the release of police body camera footage and multiple investigations following an encounter between NYPD officers and a 17-year-old boy on Oct. 7 in the St. George neighborhood.
Darian Lewis said his son suffered serious injuries during the incident.
“He actually lost one tooth. He has other teeth, chipped as a result of the assault. He has multiple facial fractures as a result of that assault,” Lewis said.
Lewis said video captured police punching his son and throwing him to the ground on Wall Street near Stuyvesant Place. According to the family, the teenager had just left Curtis High School with members of his football team when they saw officers searching some junior varsity players.
“He was just trying to see what was going on, you know, and police officers didn’t give those answers,” Lewis said.
According to the NYPD, officers were responding to reports of shots fired. Police said tensions escalated with shoving as officers attempted to move a crowd. The department reported that Lewis’ son took a swing at officers, but said body-worn cameras did not capture it.
The NYPD has not released footage from the incident while authorities investigate what happened.
Christopher Alexander, executive director of the NAACP New York State Conference, criticized the officers’ actions.
“This is the type of situation that is all too frequent where we see excessive use of force being justified,” Alexander said.
Local NAACP leaders are demanding the release of all body-worn camera footage and a full investigation by the Civilian Complaint Review Board and the NYPD Internal Affairs Bureau. They also said the officers involved have been placed on modified duty.
Lewis told Eyewitness News that after his son was injured, he was taken to a local precinct and then to a hospital for treatment. After he returned to the precinct later that night, Lewis said his son was treated inhumanely.
“They put him on the floor. He was bleeding out. He was shackled hands and feet, a minor, nonviolent, nonviolent minor,” Lewis said.
Nicole Meyers of the NAACP Staten Island branch said, “Enough is enough of the normalcy of disrespect to Black people on Staten Island.”
Alexander said, “These are kids who are, not just, you know, kids participating in the football team, but also we’re looking out for the younger kids.”
The family said it is seeking justice.
“Anybody else would be in jail for knocking out a minor. We want that officer arrested. We want him off the job,” Lewis said.
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