Manhattan DA charges NYPD officer with assault for punching erratic man in West Village
An NYPD cop who punched an erratically behaving man unconscious in the West Village has been charged with assault, the Manhattan district attorney’s office said Wednesday.
The third-degree charge against Officer Juan Perez came as elected officials have been debating how cops and the public should handle encounters with the mentally ill in the wake of the subway death of Jordan Neely.
Perez, 42, punched Borim Husenaj in the face six times in the November 2021 incident, breaking his nose and knocking him unconscious, according to prosecutors.
“The defendant’s assault caused the victim to suffer substantial pain,” Manhattan DA Alvin 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.”
The caught-on-video incident happened after Perez was called to respond to reports of a man acting erratically and throwing water at pedestrians at Bleecker and Sullivan Sts.
Perez approached Husenaj, who was holding a large liquor bottle above his head and explained that two men also present had been harassing him, the DA said. Perez then told Husenaj to sit down and took the liquor bottle from him.
The situation escalated as Perez tried to get Husenaj to sit in a chair on the sidewalk.
Body camera footage of the incident shows that Husenaj was mentally unstable as he rambled on about God and his belief that he was being targeted by terrorists, according to court documents.
Amid the unhinged rant, Perez called for an ambulance, believing Husenaj to be drunk.
“Later testing would show that Mr. Husenaj was indeed intoxicated, but all objective evidence makes clear that he was also in the throes of a serious psychiatric crisis,” court documents stated.
Perez and Husenaj fell down and grappled with each other on the ground before another NYPD officer came over to intervene. The two subdued Husenaj — and then Perez pummeled him with his fists as he lay “defenseless” on the ground, Bragg’s office said.
Husenaj suffered a broken nose and swelling around the eye, according to prosecutors.
Neely, who had a history of mental illness, died after being put in a chokehold earlier this month by former Marine Daniel Penny. Penny has since been charged with manslaughter.
