NYPD officers charged with assault for alleged teen beating
In a rare but refreshing twist, NYPD officers caught on video beating a teen after arresting him for marijuana have actually been charged with assault.
Officers David Afanador and Tyrene Isaac chased down 16-year-old Kahreem Tribble and continued to hit him after he had raised his arms in surrender. In the video released by DNAinfo, one of the officers even hit Kareem with his gun in the face. According to Amy Rameau, Tribble’s lawyer, the officers also broke Tribble’s teeth and left him bruised and bloodied.
Afandor is charged with second-degree assault, a felony, and a misdemeanor weapons offense, while Isaac is charged with third-degree assault, a misdemeanor. They are both charged with officer misconduct, a misdemeanor.
This prosecution is a welcome change to the usual pattern of silence following misconduct in the NYPD. The last time officers were prosecuted for misconduct was 2008. Other high-profile cases, including the choking death of Eric Gardner, have followed the sadly typical pattern of inaction for police brutality, though a Staten Island grand jury is currently deciding whether to indict the officers involved in Gardner’s death.
