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Family of man struck and killed by police vehicle sues NYPD, calls for officers to be fired
By
Catalina Gonella
Published Jul 6, 2023
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Frame from surveillance video released by state Attorney General
By
Catalina Gonella
Published Jul 6, 2023
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The family of the man who was struck and killed by an NYPD van in Brooklyn last year has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the department and called on the officers involved to be fired, according to court papers.
The lawsuit alleges that the driver of the van, Officer Orkhan Mamedov, abused his emergency privileges and drove recklessly without justification, causing the death of 53-year-old Ronald Anthony Smith, while his partner Officer Evan Siegel sat in the passenger seat. The lawsuit also claims the officers failed to administer CPR or first aid after the collision, and that Smith died as a result of their negligence.
"Anthony had a heart full of love and a joke on his lips,” said Lillian Goode, one of Smith’s sisters. “This is what Officers Mamedov and Siegel took from us when they smashed into my brother for no reason and then didn’t even have the decency to try to save Ronald Anthony's life. We need Mayor [Eric] Adams to stop ignoring the murder of my brother by firing Mamedov and Siegel immediately, they are dangerous and should have been fired a year ago.”
A spokesperson for the NYPD said the department would review the lawsuit if and when it is served. A request to the Police Benevolent Association, which represents both officers, was not immediately returned.
According to a 128-page report by the New York Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigation released in May, officers Mamedov and Siegel were driving four people in Crown Heights from the 73rd Precinct to Brooklyn Central Booking in a police van on a rainy April 7**,** 2022.
Mamedov was speeding with his emergency lights on and drove through two red traffic signals, the report said. He then swerved into a left turn lane and kept driving straight as the lane turned into a painted median strip on the next block. That was when he hit Smith, who was standing in the center of the parkway, according to the report.
Prosecutors concluded that they lacked sufficient evidence to prove in court that Mamedov had violated the law when he fatally struck Smith, and recommended that the NYPD change its policy so that prisoner transports are no longer considered emergencies.
“It’s been over a year. Mayor Adams’ lack of regard for the reckless NYPD murder of Ronald Anthony Smith is as clear as the video evidence in this case,” said Loyda Colon, executive director of the Justice Committee, which issued a joint statement on Thursday alongside Smith's family and legal representative. “Mayor Adams has an opportunity to show that he cares about the actual safety of New Yorkers by firing NYPD Officers Mamedov and Siegel. They are a threat to public safety. The CCRB must substantiate charges against both officers, and Mayor Adams must ensure they’re fired without further delay.”
The mayor’s office referred a request seeking comment to the NYPD and city Law Department.
At the time of the attorney general's report, another of Smith’s sisters, Julie Floyd, said she was angry but not surprised that prosecutors wouldn’t be charging Mamedov, who has several substantiated allegations of misconduct against him.
"Mr. Smith was killed for no reason,” said David B. Rankin, Beldock Levine & Hoffman, LLP, one of the Smith family’s attorneys. “All New Yorkers watch the NYPD casually break the traffic laws. It is wrong. They can wait just like everyone else. A little patience would have saved Mr. Smith's life.”
A complaint the family filed with the Civilian Complaint Review Board is still pending.
Contributed reporting by Samantha Max.
Tagged
new york city
public safety
brooklyn
Catalina Gonella
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