Police arrested a Clinton Hill man on Saturday morning after he tried to use his cellphone to photograph the arrest of a man on Fulton Street, according to the lawyer representing both men.
Roland Albright was sitting outside of a pharmacy on Fulton Street, between St. James Place and Washington Avenue, at around 11 am, when an undercover narcotics cop, wearing Muslim head garb, approached him, according to Albright’s attorney, Michael Warren.
“The cop said, ‘Where can I get some drugs?’” said Warren. “Albright became outraged and said, ‘I’m a Muslim. Can’t you see? I don’t do drugs. Please get away from me.’ Then the cop’s partners came over and jumped him and beat him down.”
The incident might have ended there — but a crowd of people gathered around the cops. Among them was Eddie Santiago, who pulled out his cellphone and tried to photograph the arrest.
“One of the officers saw him and ultimately came over … and handcuffed and arrested [Santiago]. He was put in an unmarked burgundy van and was taken to the [stationhouse].”
The NYPD confirmed that Santiago was arrested for disorderly conduct, but insisted that Santiago was at fault.
“He was disorderly and causing a ruckus,” said Lt. Pete Martin, a spokesman for the NYPD. “Just because someone’s taking a photo, they don’t just get locked up.” Martin said that he had no information on the arrest of Albright.
But Warren, the attorney, said the police arrested Albright for resisting arrest and aiding someone in the commission of a crime. In the course of the arrest, Police abused Albright so badly that “Albright could hardly walk,” Warren said.
Warren was himself arrested and allegedly assaulted by cops in June after he and his wife tried to intervene as police were arresting a teenager suspected of stealing a car and drug possession.
Councilwoman Letitia James (D–Fort Greene) has called on Police Commissioner Ray Kelly to dismiss the charges against the Warrens and to discipline the cops involved. But NYPD spokesman Paul Browne insisted on Wednesday that Warren was to blame.
“The individual interfered with a separate arrest in progress … and he resisted when officers attempted to place him under arrest for interfering,” Browne said.
“He was issued a desk appearance ticket for obstructing governmental administration, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct. His spouse was given a ticket for disorderly conduct. … The complainant’s allegations against the police have been referred to the Civilian Complaint Review Board.”
Warren said his and his clients’ arrests don’t indicate a trend so much as institutional malfeasance within the NYPD towards “communities of color.”
