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Internal Affairs Investigates Cop Caught Lying About Reckless Endangerment Charge
By
John Del Signore
Published Mar 1, 2012
Modified Mar 1, 2012
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By
John Del Signore
Published Mar 1, 2012
Modified Mar 1, 2012
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An MTA engineer who faced up to seven years in prison is breathing a sigh of relief today after a jury threw out a serious charge of reckless endangerment, because the arresting officer apparently lied on the arrest report. MTA engineer John Hockenjos ultimately vindicated by a surveillance camera that captured footage of his interaction with officer Diego Palacios, who falsely claimed that Hockenjos sped up his driveway and almost ran him over, forcing him "to jump out of the way to avoid being hit by defendant's vehicle."
But in the video (below) Hockenjos slowly comes to a stop in the driveway without endangering anyone, and no officers are seen jumping out of the way. (Palacios had been called to the Sheepshead Bay home over a long-running driveway dispute with his neighbor.) Contrary to what Officer Palacios wrote on his report, it does not appear that Hockenjos created a “grave risk of death." The criminal complaint also claims Hockenjos was yelling and screaming, telling Palacios to “get the f--- out of my driveway." In the video, he appears perturbed, but not out of control, and at one point starts carrying groceries into the house.
Yesterday the jury moved to dismiss the charges "for lack of evidence and in the interest of justice," the Daily News reports. "I'm traumatized," Hockenjos tells the News. "It was the worst experience of my entire life." And his lawyer says, "There's a larger issue here. You have a police officer who doesn't have the right temperament or judgment to be wearing a badge who's still out there." Internal Affairs Bureau is currently conducting an investigation, and who knows, Officer Palacios might get docked a few vacation days or something!
Tagged
cops
lies
nypd
surveillance
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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