Two New York City Police Department officers were caught on videotape beating a man inside a Jewish youth center in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.

Video of the Oct. 3 incident at the Aliya Institute shows the officers talking with a shirtless man, indentified by CrownHeights.info as Ehud Halevi, as he lay on a couch in a recreation room. A female officer attempts to handcuff Halevi, who resists, and the fracas soon escalates into the two officers physically beating him.

The officers continue to beat Halevi for two minutes, before additional officers arrived on the scene, handcuffed Halevi and escorted him out of the room.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Reports said police showed up to the center after receiving a call of a fight taking place, but a volunteer security guard told the New York Daily News that he called because he spotted a “drunk” man sleeping in the lounge area.

Afterward, the security guard, Zlamy Trappler, told the Daily News: “I regret making the call. I should have let him sleep. It spiraled out of control.” Halevi claimed to have had permission to stay at the center. He was charged with assaulting a police officer, trespassing, resisting arrest and harassment.

Police told the News they had no comment on the incident. Halevi did not appear to be seriously injured.

Councilman David G. Greenfield called for the officers to be fired during a press conference that was held at Lubavitcher Yeshiva hall in Brooklyn to denounce what he called a case of police brutality.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount