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Cop Stripped Of Gun After Allegedly Stomping On Man's Head During Arrest
By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Jul 26, 2014
Modified Jul 26, 2014
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By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Jul 26, 2014
Modified Jul 26, 2014
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A cop has been reassigned to desk duty after video surfaced showing him allegedly stomping on the head of a man he was trying to arrest.
Cops say Officer Joel Edouard was attempting to arrest suspect Jahmiel Cuffee in Bedford-Stuyvesant on Tuesday night, after he allegedly spotted the 32-year-old man rolling a joint. Video shows Cuffee resisting arrest after showing Edouard and several other officers his ID; the officers wrestle him to the ground, and witnesses say Edouard then got violent. "He abruptly stomped on top of the gentleman’s head,” Gary Dormer, who took a cell phone video of the arrest, told PIX11. “He lifted his foot with excessive force and came down like he was stepping on an ant or a roach or something at the time." You can see the disturbing video below:
The NYPD told reporters they were investigating the video, and yesterday Edouard was placed on modified assignment. He was required to surrender his gun and his shield. Cuffee, meanwhile, was treated for neck and head injuries at a local hospital; he has been charged with resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and possession of marijuana.
This week's incident occurred just a week after Staten Island man Eric Garner died after being put in a chokehold by an officer during an arrest. That officer, Daniel Pantaleo, has also been placed on modified desk duty, and has surrendered his badge and gun. Police Commissioner Bill Bratton called for the "retraining of every member in our city Police Department" following Garner's death.
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eric garner
joel edouard
nypd
police brutality
Rebecca Fishbein
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