The man who appeared on video to have been beaten by New York Police Department officers inside a Brooklyn liquor store now plans to sue the city for $100 million, according to his attorney.
The incident, which took place in early April, garnered lots of attention after the video circulated on social media, including from Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
Lawyers for the victim, Timothy Brown, claim police violated state and federal laws during the forceful arrest that left their client with physical and emotional scars. As a result, Brown now walks with a cane.
“It was wrong and it was disgusting. My life will never be the same,” Brown said Tuesday, accompanied by his lawyers. “I felt humiliated, disrespected, embarrassed. And was brutally beaten for no reason.”
As seen in the video, Brown was beaten by two police officers who mistakenly identified him as a suspect during a drug raid at a liquor store in Gowanus, earlier in the month.
While speaking to reporters Tuesday in lower Manhattan, Brown expressed his frustration and concern for others.
“I’m a taxpayer,” Brown said. “This shouldn’t happen to anyone else.”
In addition to the excessive use of force, Brown’s lawyers also allege that the officers involved failed to activate their body cameras and were texting with colleagues on their personal cellphones — both of which are direct violations of NYPD regulations.
“Through this litigation, we hope to change the policies of the New York Police Department,” said Brown’s attorney, Derek Sells.
Two NYPD officers ended up arresting the wrong person inside a Brooklyn business. NBC New York’s Jessica Cunnington reports on the fallout after the violent arrest was caught on video.
When Brown’s mother was asked if anyone from the city, including Mamdani or the mayor’s office, had reached out to check on her son, she said no.
The officers involved were reassigned during the internal investigation, and their drug unit has been disbanded.
Both Mayor Mamdani and NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch have called the video disturbing.
The NYPD has not commented on the pending lawsuit.
