NEW YORK (AP) — An NYPD officer seen on bystander video repeatedly punching a man in the face, leaving him unconscious with a broken nose in 2021, has been indicted on a misdemeanor assault charge, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced Wednesday.
Officer Juan Perez is charged with third-degree assault in connection with the confrontation in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village neighborhood on Nov. 10, 2021.
“As we allege, the defendant’s assault caused the victim to suffer substantial pain,” Bragg said in a statement. “Police officers are often put in challenging situations, but they must use their training appropriately and treat the residents of New York City with respect.”
It was not immediately clear if Perez has a lawyer who could respond to the allegations. Contact information for Perez could not immediately be found. Phone and email messages were left Wednesday with the police department and police union.
Perez and his partner responded to a report of a man acting erratically, according to court documents and witness statements. Perez took an alcohol bottle from the man and began talking with him, authorities said.
Perez later pushed the man against a wall in an effort to handcuff him, but a struggle ensued when both fell to the ground, officials said. Perez’s partner helped subdue the man, authorities said.
“Perez then proceeded to rapidly punch the victim six times in the face, who was lying on the ground defenseless,” Bragg’s statement said. “He was brought to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with a broken nose and significant swelling.”
A bystander recorded the incident with a cellphone.
Bragg did not identify the man.
City records show Perez, an officer since 2006, has had nine complaints against him, including allegations involving physical force, but none were substantiated. Records also show he was disciplined for a 2014 off-duty threatening incident.
