Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Lawsuit: Woman Spent 5 Days In Jail For Soda Possession
By
Ben Yakas
Published Nov 3, 2013
Modified Nov 3, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Ben Yakas
Published Nov 3, 2013
Modified Nov 3, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
A Brooklyn woman is suing the city and the NYPD for arresting her after she bought a bottle of Sprite from her local bodega. Catherine Cyrus also claims that cops tried to cover up the details of her bogus arrest by lying and claiming she had tried to assault them.
Cyrus, 24, says in her suit that she had bought a Sprite in February 2012 at a bodega in Bedford-Stuyvesant when cops surrounded her demanding to see her ID and what she bought. After showing them the soda, she was angry, and refused to leave the area when cops told her to. She was then arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and obstructing governmental administration (she refused to let cops fingerprint her).
Cyrus spent five days in jail before being released. When the case went to trial, Judge ShawnDya Simpson criticized the arresting officers over the claim that Cyrus had tried to hit them, noting officers never charged Cyrus with assault. Simpson ultimately called the officer’s tale “totally incredible,” and dismissed the case.
Tagged
bed stuy
Bedford-Stuyvesant
brooklyn
lawsuit
nypd
police
soda
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Deer are all over New Jersey roads looking for sex, state officials warn
Mid-October through mid-December is deer mating season, which can be a danger to drivers as the sex-seeking creatures cross roadways throughout the Garden State.
By
Rosemary Misdary
Published Oct 16, 2026
Man messaged 'I got straight poison' before giving NYC college students fentanyl, feds say
A transcript from an April court hearing sheds new light on what transpired at Fashion Institute of Technology.
By
Samantha Max
News
Man messaged 'I got straight poison' before giving NYC college students fentanyl, feds say
A transcript from an April court hearing sheds new light on what transpired at Fashion Institute of Technology.
By
Samantha Max
Inside the plan to fix the nearly collapsed Pfizer Building, 1/64th of an inch at a time
By
David Brand
School bus carrying autistic students got lost in Brooklyn for 4 hours last year
By
Jessica Gould
NYC’s bridges can last 'forever,' if we take care of them
By
Clayton Guse
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .