NYPD officer accused of brutally beating man during Dominican Day parade in the Bronx
Video appears to show the officer repeatedly punching a man in the face and body
BRONX, New York (WABC) -- The NYPD is facing allegations of police brutality over a video that shows an officer punching a man repeatedly during Dominican Day Parade festivities in the Bronx.
Cellphone video shows 25-year-old Arnardo Vargas Jr. take more than a dozen blows to the face and body.
Vargas Jr. says that's how many times he was punched by an NYPD officer as other officers held him.
"I heard him say something, and then from that point on, I'm just seeing people grabbing my head and started punching me," he said.
The alleged incident happened on Sunday as Vargas Jr. and his friends were celebrating the Dominican Day parade.
Vargas Jr. says things escalated when police asked the group to move.
"We were complying with him as well and we were walking with him," he said. "And from that point on, he started to get aggressive with us."
Police say Vargas Jr. refused orders to disperse and charged him with resisting arrest and disorderly conduct fighting.
In a statement, Patrick Hendry, President of the Police Benevolent Association, said in part, "This individual resisted arrest, and the law and NYPD policies permit police officers to use force - including hand strikes - in order to take a resisting suspect into custody."
"The NYPD will come back and say he was not cooperative. So, asking a question aggressively means that you can punch someone in the face 13 times?" said Hawk Newsome, co-founder of Black Lives Matter of Greater New York.
Vargas Jr. says he asked police why he was being harassed, which he believes prompted the violence that sent him to the hospital with a concussion and emotional trauma.
Vargas and the activists standing with him are calling for the Department of Justice and Vice President Kamala Harris to get involved.
"Joe Biden wrote a handwritten letter saying that the White House would monitor this situation. Well, the time for monitoring is over," Newsome said.
Vargas has an attorney, yet he's unsure if he will sue at this time.
He told Eyewitness News reporter Crystal Cranmore that he's focused on healing and is just grateful to be alive.
"It could have gone worse," Vargas Jr. said.
----------
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
