Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
City Pays $70K After NYPD Allegedly Erases Video Of Cop Beating
By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Sep 26, 2015
Modified Sep 26, 2015
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
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Sep 26, 2015
Modified Sep 26, 2015
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
The city has paid $70,000 to a Staten Island resident after he filed a suit alleging the NYPD allowed footage of him being beaten by officers to be erased.
The SI Advance reports that 22-year-old Keashon Gillam filed a federal lawsuit stemming from an October 2011 incident in which he was allegedly brutally beaten outside the Stapleton Houses in the borough. The incident, which the suit says left Gillam with a concussion and medical staples in his head, was reportedly caught on an NYPD "VIPER" camera—however, Gillam claimed that the NYPD failed to follow procedure and flag the footage of the beating, allowing it to be erased after seven days.
According to the suit, the then 18-year-old Gillam was standing outside with his cousin that day when he was approached by police officers. He claimed he tried to walk away from the cops when they called after him, but officers then kicked him to the ground and bashed him in the head with a police radio after they cuffed him. "Me and my cousin, we're going home, we're not doing nothing, so we didn't think they were talking to us," he told the Advance, noting that he had a small amount of marijuana on him at the time. An officer, Daniel Magee, witnessed the incident on surveillance camera.
Per the suit:
Although it was procedure to do so, Magee should have prepared an incident report to flag the video of the incident, which was caught on camera. He purposely did not to protect [the arresting officer] and his brethren from being charged with excessive force.
Earlier this year, Gillam, who says a cop also called him a racial slur, was acquitted of resisting arrest stemming from that incident. The federal suit was dismissed in court yesterday, and Gillam was awarded the $70K settlement, which is more than double the average the city pays for NYPD-related civilian suits.
Tagged
nypd
police brutality
staten island
Rebecca Fishbein
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
5 men charged with trespassing in 2 Manhattan manhole cases
Two people who were found soaking wet and smelling of sewage say they went underground to look for jewelry, according to police and a criminal complaint.
By
Charles Lane
Published Oct 23, 2026 at 7:49 p.m. ET
6-year-old girl breaks leg after getting hit by falling bricks in Queens
The girl was walking with her mother in Maspeth on Thursday. The Department of Buildings cited the owner of a garage for “failure to maintain” it.
By
Charles Lane
News
6-year-old girl breaks leg after getting hit by falling bricks in Queens
The girl was walking with her mother in Maspeth on Thursday. The Department of Buildings cited the owner of a garage for “failure to maintain” it.
By
Charles Lane
Mamdani extends ban on permits for new street fairs due to NYPD overtime
By
Carol Chen
Inside the Midtown Bus Terminal rebuild: Decks over Lincoln Tunnel approach, a new park
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Black couple seeking Queens apartment sues over racist text from broker
By
Brittany Kriegstein
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 .