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Brooklyn man files legal claim after NYPD beating in Gowanus liquor store
By
Ben Feuerherd
Published Apr 27, 2026
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Brittany Kriegstein / Gothamist
By
Ben Feuerherd
Published Apr 27, 2026
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A Brooklyn man who was beaten by two NYPD officers after they mistook him for a drug suspect in a Brooklyn liquor store has filed a legal claim against the city, the police department and the officers involved in the botched arrest.
In a notice of claim filed with the city comptroller’s office, Timothy Brown asserts that the officers violated several of his rights when they beat him and arrested him in the BK Wine Depot in Gowanus earlier this month. The legal filing is a precursor to a lawsuit that notifies city agencies that a person intends to file a lawsuit against them.
The NYPD did not immediately comment.
In the filing, attorney Derek Sells says Brown had just gotten off work at about 4 p.m. on April 14 and was shopping for a bottle of wine in the liquor store across from the Gowanus Houses, a New York City Housing Authority complex.
The two officers, identified as Detective Volkan Maden and Detective Michael Algerio, confronted Brown and repeatedly punched him in the face, slammed him against a wall and into a display case, causing glass bottles to shatter on the floor, the claim states.
They then dragged him across the glass, causing a cut to his leg that has since required him to walk with a cane and will also cause permanent scarring, according to the notice of claim.
The claim also alleges the officers had not activated body-worn cameras during the arrest, which Brown’s attorneys said violates NYPD policy.
The legal filing says the violent arrest is part of a pattern of misconduct by the narcotics unit where the officers were assigned. It says at least one other person has publicly said he was wrongfully arrested by the same Brooklyn North Narcotics Unit during the same operation.
The Cochran Firm is representing Brown and will address reporters about the ordeal on Tuesday morning, according to a press release from the law firm.
Residents of the Gowanus Houses who spoke to Gothamist after the arrest said it’s part of a pattern of aggressive policing in the neighborhood.
After videos of the incident taken by a bystander circulated online and were published by the media, Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said they were disturbed by the videos and that the city and the police department had taken action to discipline the officers involved.
Mamdani said at a press conference that the NYPD will complete a 90-day “top to bottom” review of its narcotics section and that the unit responsible for the arrest had been disbanded.
An NYPD spokesperson said the decision to disband the team was made at Tisch's direction and that the officers involved in the arrest were placed on modified duty the same day videos of the incident circulated online.
The claim asserts the officers violated federal law and New York State law during the arrest and demands the department and city preserve evidence related to the incident.
Tagged
brooklyn
nypd
public safety
Ben Feuerherd
Ben Feuerherd covers public safety and policing for WNYC and Gothamist. He previously covered federal courts for The New York Post and The Messenger. His work has also appeared in POLITICO, the Daily Beast and NBC New York. Got a tip? Email [email protected].
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