A New York grand jury begins weighing sodomy charges against cops in what has become one of the most explosive allegations of police brutality in recent memory.
Michael Mineo claims four officers approached because they thought he was smoking pot. Mineo fled into a subway station, argued with the officers, and was issued a ticket for disorderly conduct.
Mineo claims four officers assaulted him in horrific fashion, yanking down his pants and sodomizing him with a walkie-talkie antenna so brutally that he was left bleeding. He says the officers then put him into a police car, and, unsure what to do with him, let him go with a minor ticket and told him to keep his mouth shut. He spent the next four days in a hospital.
The police department says Mineo’s claims are greatly exaggerated, denying that he was sodomized and describing the altercation as a “scuffle.” Police officials say that witness accounts back up their claim.
Both sides say they have witnesses who either saw the attack or didn’t see it, including a transit worker and his 12-year-old son who said they didn’t witness the alleged sodomy even as Mineo was yelling out that he was being “violated.”
Hospital discharge papers reviewed by The Associated Press show that upon arrival at Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center on Oct. 15, Mineo was diagnosed with “anal assault.” The hospital discharge papers from Oct. 19 said Mineo arrived at the hospital complaining he had been assaulted by police with a foreign object.
The officers are still on duty but have been assigned to administrative duties because members of the press were attempting to interview them, police officials said. The fact that the NYPD kept the officers on duty after Mineo came forward signals that they have strong doubts about the allegations.
Michael Mineo claims four officers approached because they thought he was smoking pot. Mineo fled into a subway station, argued with the officers, and was issued a ticket for disorderly conduct.
Mineo claims four officers assaulted him in horrific fashion, yanking down his pants and sodomizing him with a walkie-talkie antenna so brutally that he was left bleeding. He says the officers then put him into a police car, and, unsure what to do with him, let him go with a minor ticket and told him to keep his mouth shut. He spent the next four days in a hospital.
The police department says Mineo’s claims are greatly exaggerated, denying that he was sodomized and describing the altercation as a “scuffle.” Police officials say that witness accounts back up their claim.
Both sides say they have witnesses who either saw the attack or didn’t see it, including a transit worker and his 12-year-old son who said they didn’t witness the alleged sodomy even as Mineo was yelling out that he was being “violated.”
Hospital discharge papers reviewed by The Associated Press show that upon arrival at Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center on Oct. 15, Mineo was diagnosed with “anal assault.” The hospital discharge papers from Oct. 19 said Mineo arrived at the hospital complaining he had been assaulted by police with a foreign object.
The officers are still on duty but have been assigned to administrative duties because members of the press were attempting to interview them, police officials said. The fact that the NYPD kept the officers on duty after Mineo came forward signals that they have strong doubts about the allegations.
No comments:
Post a Comment