Brett Klein Represents Sickly Staten Island Man Who Was Beaten and Tasered by Police in Policy Brutality Case

Sickly Staten Island Man Beaten and Tasered by Cops Sues City

A sickly, 4-foot-8 Staten Island man who was cuffed, punched by a cop and zapped by a stun gun in his own home sued the city and the officers who arrested him over the terrifying caught-on-video encounter.

Police rushed into the Staten Island apartment of William Colon on Sept. 28, 2018 in response to a domestic violence call after a neighbor heard him arguing with his girlfriend.

Seconds after the officers’ arrival, a burly cop pinned the 85-pound Colon to a bed as his brother filmed the scene.

Colon says he has Mauriac Syndrome, an illness related to diabetes that causes dwarfism. He is also asthmatic, has curvature of the spine and an intestinal disorder, and developed heart problems three years ago.

Staten Island prosecutors dismissed the criminal charges against him.

“Defendant officers did not have a warrant, permission, or other legal authority, and there were no exigent circumstances or any other lawful justification to enter plaintiff’s residence,” according to the lawsuit filed by Colon’s lawyer Brett Klein.

“This is another example of police brutality,” Klein said. “What makes it worse is that the police here brutalized a man with serious disabilities. What they did was unnecessary and dangerous. Thankfully, a family member was able to capture this on video.”

When cops barged into Colon’s apartment on a domestic violence call, he begged the officers to tell him why they were there.

The cops grabbed him and threw him on a bed, his brother’s cell phone video shows.

The footage shows cops forcing him onto his stomach, yanking his arms behind his back and handcuffing him. Officer Vincenzo Trabolse then appears to punch Colon at least three times in his side.

Trabolse also zapped Colon repeatedly with a stun gun until he fell limp, the video shows.

“(Colon) was not a threat to the (police), himself or anyone else, and was pinned down in a position of total subservience, with his hands open and his palms up,” the lawsuit said. “Despite this, Trabolse threatened plaintiff by pointing his Taser at plaintiff’s head multiple times.”

The NYPD and the Civilian Complaint Review Board are investigating the incident.

“Officer Vincenzo Trabolse is lucky to have his job and pension after the violent arrest and tasering of William Colon, a man half his size,” said Chris Pisciotta, Attorney-In-Charge of the Staten Island Trial Office at The Legal Aid Society. “While no amount of money will make up for what William suffered, we hope the City does right by William for that brutal arrest which could have been fatal.”

Trabolse, a 13-year veteran, has been sued at least three times before, and settlements in the cases total $22,500.

A pending case filed in 2016 by Dante Daniels alleges that in 2015, Trabolse stopped him and ordered him to place his hands behind his back. Daniels was unable to comply because he is disabled, the lawsuit says.

Cops repeatedly punched Daniels in the face, the lawsuit said, knocked him to the ground and forced his hands in handcuffs.

Source: New York Daily News