Cop caught on camera punching suspect in the face for stealing a slice of pizza
theGrio REPORT - According to sources, an armed man was cornered by cops inside a Brooklyn bodega, where an officer is seen on video hitting him in the face while trying to subdue him for stealing a slice of pizza and some oregano.
According to sources, an armed man was cornered by cops inside a Brooklyn bodega, where video captures an officer hitting him in the face while trying to subdue him — for stealing a slice of pizza and some oregano.
Thomas Jennings was busted at Raslin Grocery on July 7 after he grabbed some oregano shakers and a slice of pizza from a nearby fried-chicken joint and fled.
Footage from inside the bodega shows one officer attempting to detain Jennings, when a second officer arrives on the scene and immediately starts punching him.
The aspiring hip hop artist suffered cuts above his eye, despite the fact that he raised both hands in surrender prior to the onslaught.
“I didn’t ever know it was coming,” Jennings told the Daily News of the punches that required five stitches to close the wound.
Police sources say Jennings has a pending lawsuit against the city for a previous run-in with cops where he claims he was “tackled, kicked and punched” by officers after a dispute with his girlfriend last year.
On Tuesday, a police spokeswoman said the NYPD Internal Affairs Bureau would be reviewing the tape.
Jennings’ lawyer said there was no justification for the pummeling his client received.
“It’s horrendous what they did to him,” said lawyer Amy Rameau. “He had his hands up. He didn’t pose a threat to anyone in that store. It was an absolute use of excessive force.”
Court papers reveal the incident began when Jennings and another unidentified man became embroiled in a dispute with an employee over the price of two slices of pizza. Jennings says the price was $3 and he was a dollar short, so he stepped outside to borrow money.
However, the criminal complaint alleges the unidentified man pulled out a switchblade knife and told the employee that he wasn’t paying, and both men fled with the pizza and salt-and-pepper shakers. The employee called 911 and reported the food joint had been robbed.
When the police tracked down Jennings several blocks away at the Roslin grocery store, that’s where the video camera behind the counter picks up.
“He’s an artist, he’s a father, he’s a son but unfortunately the police see him as an object, something to pound on,” Rameau said.
Jennings was charged with robbery and held without bail until July 13, when he was released after the DA’s office did not present the case to a grand jury.
