2 New Jersey police officers charged in attack, filing false report
PATERSON, New Jersey (WABC) -- Two Paterson police officers attacked a young man late last year, hitting him in the face and body, and then falsely filed a report saying he had punched one of them in the chest and was "screaming profanities" at them, acting U.S. Attorney Rachael Honig said Tuesday.
Officers Kevin Patino, 29, and Kendry Tineo-Restituyo, 28, both of Paterson, have been charged with depriving a victim of his constitutional right to be free from the use of unreasonable force by police and with filing a false police report, according to the statement.
The victim, Osamah Alsaidi, spoke to Eyewitness News in February, saying he was on his way to the corner store before work when the incident unfolded.
Video showed him the then-19-year-old walking down the street with his hands in his pockets when the police pulled up. He said they punched him seven or eight times, body slammed him, and then kept hitting him.
"Usually if you are attacked like that, you expect the officers to come and help you," he said.
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Alsaidi said he had bruises on both sides of his face and pain in his jaw, as well as trouble chewing and migraines.
Patino entered a not guilty plea and will be vindicated when "all the facts are presented in a court of law," attorney Anthony Iacullo said in a statement.
The officers filed a police report with false statements and omissions, including wrongly saying that the victim walked toward the police and was "screaming profanities" and "acting belligerent," the statement said. The officers also reported that the person punched Patino in the chest.
"None of that was true," Honig said.
The police report also left out that the officers continued to strike the victim after the he was on the ground.
"Police officers should hold themselves to the highest possible standards," Honig said. "The conduct described in this criminal complaint makes clear that these two defendants did not do that. Assaulting a suspect and then falsifying official police reports to cover it up can never be tolerated. These are criminal acts by defendants who should know better."
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(The Associated Press contributed to this report)
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