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Man Bodyslammed By Cop Now Gets Teased By Other Cops
By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 27, 2012
Modified Jul 27, 2012
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By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 27, 2012
Modified Jul 27, 2012
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Yesterday, a video was posted showing a 19-year-old man being bodyslammed by a police officer in a Brooklyn subway station last Thursday. Now there are a few more details about the incident.
While Pagan said he didn't know why he was stopped by the cop, according to CityRoom, police claim that Sean Pagan had entered the station without paying and "then refused to show the officer his identification and resisted arrest. He was charged with theft of services and resisting arrest." But does that necessitate a body slam? Twice?
Further, police say the teen "had been arrested nine times prior to last Thursday and once since then, for offenses including criminal mischief, creating graffiti, intent to damage property, telephone harassment and criminal contempt."
The incident was filmed by David Galarza, an activist, who told reporters yesterday that Hispanics and Asians are being unfairly treated, "These are young people of color who are victimized many times, and this kind of excessive force, sometimes it’s captured, sometimes not. There was an arrest of a young man, but not of the officer who did the groping, and who did the choking."
Pagan, who was held for 24 hours, added that police officers "joked and laughed about his body-slamming" and that his mother didn't believe he was body slammed by the cops until she saw the video, "If it wasn’t for the video, nobody would’ve seen it, and I would just be another kid [who this has occurred to]." And a local pastor, Samuel Cruz, of Trinity Lutheran Church, said, "It is not tolerable to fear the police more than you would fear a criminal... We are going to start policing the police. This could be my child. It has got to stop. It makes me sad that our people have to live this way."
Tagged
body slam
nypd
police brutality
sean pagan
sunset park
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Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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