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Cyclist Whose Jaw Was Broken By "Rookie" Cop Gets $250K Settlement
By
John Del Signore
Published Jul 30, 2012
Modified Jul 30, 2012
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By
John Del Signore
Published Jul 30, 2012
Modified Jul 30, 2012
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A young woman who landed in the hospital with a broken jaw after she was stopped for riding her bike on a Bed-Stuy sidewalk has won a $250,000 settlement with the city. You may recall the incident: In September 2008, Jessica Williams, who was then 17, was stopped by NYPD housing cop Desmond Nichols. Williams told Nichols that, in her opinion, he was only bothering her because he was a "rookie." Nichols later admitted during his deposition that he decided to arrest the teen because of that disparaging remark. And the broken jaw? That was just self-defense.
Nichols claims that when he told Williams to put her hands behind her back, she "cocked her elbow" as if to punch him. Nichols says he punched her with a force he described in his deposition as “lightly medium." But it was enough to break her jaw, and Williams spent the next eight days in the hospital, handcuffed to the bed with her jaw wired shut. "I still don't understand why he did it and why they still allow him to be on the police force," Williams tells the Daily News.
NYPD Internal Affairs investigated Nichols, but he was transferred to the Bronx and never disciplined. The incident cost NYC taxpayers $250,000, in a settlement the city law department describes as "in the best interest of all parties."
Tagged
bed stuy
cyclists
police brutality
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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