Bayonne police officer arrested over alleged inapproriate use of force

BAYONNE (WABC) -- A Bayonne police officer is under arrest and facing charges of using inappropriate force during an arrest.

FBI agents took Officer Dominick Lillo, 44, into custody at his home Friday morning.

Officer Domenico Lillo, a 14-year veteran, has been suspended without pay from the Bayonne police force pending a judge's ruling in this federal case.

He's accused of excessive force and falsifying reports, and records show this isn't the first time these type of allegations have been made against him.

"My other brother called me and he was hysterical," said Maura Walsh, Brandon's sister.

Maura Walsh admits her brother Brandon isn't perfect, but says he didn't deserve what happened on December 27th, 2013. That's when Bayonne Police Officer Domenico Lillo and two others officers burst through their home and arrested him for an outstanding warrant.

"If you come to a house to arrest someone over a bench warrant, I don't think it is within protocol to put someone in handcuffs and then beat their face in with a flash light," Walsh said.

Maura says Officer Lillo and his counterparts first sprayed mace on everyone inside, even her two small children.

"My mom was maced along with my children, the dogs, they were throwing up all over the place, it was a bad scene," Walsh said.

Then while Brandon was in cuffs, family members say Officer Lillo violently beat him in the face with a flashlight over and over again.

"Once you cross that line into disfiguring people for no good reason at all then that's where someone else needs to step in and say ok you've stepped over the boundary," Walsh said.

"The front teeth were all missing out of his mouth and there were some wires in place, in addition to that he had a number of stitches closing his forehead," said Joel Silverman, Brandon's attorney.

In addition to excessive force, Brandon's attorney Joel Silberman says Officer Lillo is also being charged with falsifying his report of the incident which was captured on a nearby surveillance camera.

Records show this isn't the first time allegations like these have been levied against Lillo.

In fact the city of Bayonne paid $100,000 to settle another claim back in 2007 where two men say they were beaten by Lillo and four others.

"There seems to be a pattern within that town of excessive force on people so hopefully this brings it to light and brings about some change," Silberman said.

"The only thing we wanted was justice," Walsh said.

The Bayonne Police Department did conduct an internal affairs investigation and says they've also been cooperating with the Hudson County Prosecutors office.

The use of excessive force count carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, while falsifying records carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.