Ehud Halevy being punched by police |
After the Jewish community was enraged by a video showing New York police beating a homeless man, all charges were dropped against him, according to the DA’s office.
The Brooklyn District Attorney, Charles Hynes, dropped all charges Monday against a young man whose arrest in a Jewish community center in Brooklyn led to accusations of police brutality.
The police said in a criminal complaint, that the man, Ehud Halevy, 21, attacked them, causing one to suffer a sprained wrist during a confrontation inside the Alternative Learning Institute for Young Adults located on East New York Avenue in Crown Heights. Mr. Halevy was charged with one count of felony assault on police officers and a host of other charges, including resisting arrest and trespassing.
However, a video of the arrest, published online on October 14, showed two officers of the 71st Precinct repeatedly striking Mr. Halevy, and questioning the official version of the episode. While
the video shows Mr. Halevy trying to get away from Officer Luis Vega and using his arms
to free himself, it does not show how the officer was injured.
Mr. Hynes informed the attorney for Mr. Halevy, Norman Siegel, of the decision to withdraw the charges during an afternoon session and issued a statement, announcing the dismissal of the charges.
“We are very happy,” Siegel said. “Justice was done.” Mr. Siegel said he had asked the district attorney to file criminal charges against the two officers, saying that it was a misdemeanor for the police to make false statements.
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