Officers accused of assault put on desk duty

BROOKLYN Tattoo parlor worker Michael Mineo claims he was assaulted Oct. 15. He says the officers approached him because they thought he was smoking marijuana, chased him into the Brooklyn subway station, pulled his pants down and sodomized him with a walkie-talkie.

The New York Police Department strongly denies those allegations.

Police spokesman Paul Browne says the officers were placed on desk duty Monday while a special grand jury investigates.

The police department also is investigating but must wait until the grand jury is finished before interviewing the officers.

Mineo was hospitalized for several days.