- Federal prosecutors have charged two
New Jersey cops with violating a man's civil rights and filing a false report. - Prosecutors say the officers assaulted the man and then made false statements on a police report last December.
- One of the officers has surrendered while the other is expected to turn himself in Tuesday.
Federal prosecutors on Tuesday charged two New Jersey police officers who they say assaulted a man and then lied about it in a police report.
Prosecutors announced the charges Tuesday against 29-year-old Kevin Patino and 28-year-old Kendry Tineo-Restituyo, both officers of the Paterson New Jersey Police Department.
Both officers were charged with depriving a male victim of his Constitutional right to be free from the use of unreasonable force by law enforcement officers and with filing a false police report, the US Attorneys Office for the District of New Jersey said in a statement.
The incident occurred last year on December 14, 2020. According to prosecutors, officers approached the victim when he had his hands in his pockets. Patino grabbed the man, who then tried to "separate himself" from the officer.
Patino "struck" the man in his head and his body "numerous times," prosecutors say. At the same time, prosecutors allege Tineo-Restituyo picked up the man and threw him to the ground.
Then, prosecutors say, the officers arrested the man and returned to the police station where they filed a report that included multiple falsehoods. The officers claimed the man had approached them "screaming profanities" and "acting belligerent." They also claimed the man had hit Patino with a closed fist in the chest.
Neither of those statements were true, prosecutors say.
The civil rights violation carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, and the charge of making a false report carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Both charges carry a maximum fine of $250,000.
"This Administration takes seriously the allegations of Police misconduct, and has taken several significant steps to address them," said Jerry Speziale, the public safety director for the city of Paterson, in an emailed statement.
"We have been on a mission to increase Police transparency, accountability, and trust with the community," he said.
The two officers have been employed by the police agency since 2017 and have both been suspended without pay, Mayor Andre Sayegh said, according to the Paterson Times.
The victim, who was injured and required treatment at a local hospital, was identified as 19-year-old Osamah Alsidi, the Paterson Times reported. The incident gained traction on social media in February when it was shared on Twitter by the New Jersey chapter of the Council for American-Islamic relations.