New York Cops Caught Beating Jewish Man
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.
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.
A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.
If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
