Black police officer sues NYPD for millions over arrest after bogus traffic stop
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A Black New York City police officer, who said he was off-duty when he was arrested by two cops for no reason, is now suing for $5 million for mental anguish.
The NYPD says no such arrest exists.
NYPD Police Officer Karim Powell filed a suit for a March 2017 traffic stop where he said two cops refused to accept his police ID, cursed him out and arrested him without cause, reports the New York Post.
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“He (a cop) came up, and he said ‘turn around’ and placed me in cuffs,” Powell told The Post.
“I said, ‘I’m on the job.’ His reply was, ‘What job?’ and I said, ‘Same job as you.’ ”
Powell said he showed the cop his badge, to no avail.
“I took my ID out, and [the cop] said, ‘I can’t see it.’ I took it out of my wallet and gave it to him,” Powell said. “He took the keys off the roof and said, ‘F–k that s–t.’ He went back to the [patrol car], and he was on the cellphone.
“I was standing there for 10 to 15 minutes before a patrol supervisor arrived,” he said. “The only thing I remember thinking of [the cursing cop] was, ‘That guy’s nasty.’ They placed me in his car. A sergeant told the officer to remove the cuffs.”
Powell was later charged with “failure to show ID,” the papers said.
However Powell maintains his innocence.
“I’ve been accused of something I haven’t done. It’s really unfair,” he said. “They were nasty. They didn’t do their job right.”
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