Two NYPD officers assigned to the 46th Precinct were arrested yesterday and charged with assaulting a teenager who mouthed off to them outside their station house in the Bronx. The beating allegedly occurred just after 3 a.m. on February 18th after 17-year-old Tyre Davis exited the station house and spotted the two officers who had arrested him on a disorderly conduct charge hours earlier. NYPD spokesman Paul Browne tells the Times that Davis "starts ranting at them for having arrested him. And in that alley nearby, they assaulted him, presumably as a result of his cursing at them." Right, let's not jump to conclusions; it could be the beating was just a force of habit.
Officers Joseph Murphy, 26, and Jose Ocasio, 28, are charged with third-degree assault, official misconduct and harassment. According to a copy of the complaint obtained by the Times, the officers hit Davis "repeatedly with closed fists and kicks" to his face and body, leaving him with a cut and bruise to his forehead, as well as swelling behind his right ear. After the alleged beating, Davis went home and told his mother, who reported the incident, prompting an Internal Affairs investigation.
Officers Murphy and Ocasio were arraigned and released without bail yesterday. Their attorney, Stuart London (you may remember him from such police brutality trials as Cop Bodyslams Cyclist) tells the Daily News, "The officers are looking forward to being vindicated in court."
