Lawsuit against NYPD cops for smashing autistic boy’s head into pavement, punching him
Lawsuit against NYPD cops for smashing autistic boy’s head into pavement, punching him
A family has filed a federal lawsuit accusing New York City police officers of smashing an autistic teen’s head into the sidewalk and punching him in the face without any provocation.
In November 2014, Troy Canales, then 17, was leaning against a parked car outside his home in The Bronx when two NYPD officers pulled up in a squad car and demanded to know what he was doing.
According to a lawsuit filed at Manhattan Federal Court, the teen was ‘extremely scared’ but replied that he was ‘chilling’ and not doing anything.
Court documents filed by an attorney on behalf of Canales state that the two officers then got out of the car, grabbed the boy’s arms and threw him to the ground, slamming his head against the pavement.
‘[The officers] kneed plaintiff in the back and punched him in the face as he screamed to his family for help,’ reads the suit cited by the New York Post.
Canales’ mother, Alyson Aulet-Valentine, and his older brother rushed out of their home on Bainbridge Avenue and begged the cops to let Troy go, telling them that he was suffering from autism.
But their pleas fell on deaf ears as the cops handcuffed the 17-year-old man and hauled him off to the 52nd Precinct.
He was released an hour later without any charges after Mrs Valentine spoke to the precinct’s commanding officer.
Valentine, a senior bridge engineer, said that a police captain apologized to her but said that ‘things like this happen.’
In the wake of the beating, Valentine said, her son has become reclusive and it took professional psychological help to coax him out of the house.
The federal lawsuit seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages. It also calls on the NYPD to provide officers with better training in dealing with people suffering from developmental disabilities, including autism.
