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NYPD officer convicted of repeatedly punching man in face in Greenwich Village
By
Matt Katz
Published Jul 11, 2024
Modified Jul 11, 2024
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José A. Alvarado Jr. / Gothamist
By
Matt Katz
Published Jul 11, 2024
Modified Jul 11, 2024
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An NYPD officer seen on body-worn camera footage repeatedly punching an intoxicated man in the face in Greenwich Village in 2021 was convicted Thursday of misdemeanor assault, prosecutors said.
Juan Perez, 42, has since retired from the police force with his full pension, according to his attorney. He faces a maximum of 364 days in prison when he’s sentenced in September.
“Members of law enforcement have important positions of trust in our city, and holding accountable those who violate that trust is essential for lasting public safety,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement. The verdict was issued by Judge Maxwell Wiley.
In November 2021, Perez was responding to a report about a man acting erratically and holding a bottle of alcohol when he arrived at the scene on MacDougal Street, according to prosecutors.
Footage submitted in court from body-worn cameras worn by Perez and another officer shows them forcing the victim to put the bottle down and sit in a chair on the sidewalk. While the man rants about belief in God, Perez calls for an ambulance and then attempts to handcuff him. Both the man and Perez then fall to the ground, at which point Perez punches the man in the face six times, according to the footage.
In the video, a crowd can be seen gathering around soon afterward.
“Why do y’all have to do him like that, bro?” asks one voice.
Another says: “He’s not moving!”
The man suffered a broken nose and bruising around the eyes, and he was unconscious for about a minute, according to prosecutors.
Before the verdict, Perez’s attorney Stuart London told Gothamist that the man who was being arrested had pulled Perez’s leg out from underneath him and was in the process of choking him “right before the officer engaged in physicality to stop the threat.” He said eyewitness testimony and another video supported that account.
In a statement, Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Hendry said the verdict “will send a chilling message to every police officer.”
“Cops are being violently attacked on the streets every day. If this is what happens when we try to protect ourselves, we won’t be able to protect the public,” he said.
Hendry said the union will help Perez appeal the decision.
Law enforcement officers are rarely charged with crimes related to use of force, but Bragg has been relatively aggressive in this regard. He recently charged another officer with assault for punching a man at the Apple store on the Upper West Side; that officer was later acquitted.
Tagged
public safety
manhattan
Matt Katz
Matt Katz is a former WNYC & Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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