



New York police Officer Joel Edouard pleaded not guilty Tuesday to assault, among other charges, stemming from an incident last July in Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood.

During a confrontation with Jahmiel Cuffee, 32, who was allegedly drinking alcohol while in possession of marijuana, Edouard, 37, allegedly stomped on Cuffee’s head after Cuffee was handcuffed and lying on the sidewalk. The scene was captured on video by a bystander, eventually landing the officer in trouble, as a statement released Tuesday by Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson’s office detailed:

The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, on July 23, 2014, at about 7:30 p.m., in the vicinity of 223 Malcolm X Boulevard, in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, the defendant and his partner allegedly observed Jahmiel Cuffee, 32, drinking on the sidewalk and possessing what appeared to be marijuana. Cuffee resisted arrest and tussled with the officers. Additional officers arrived on the scene to assist Officer Edouard and his partner. The District Attorney said that, according to the investigation, a witness to the incident captured a cell phone video which depicts Cuffee on the ground, face down and being handcuffed. Also depicted on the video is Officer Edouard briefly pointing his gun at Cuffee, walking away from the scene of the arrest and then walking back and stomping on Cuffee’s head as he lay on the ground. Cuffee’s head then hit the concrete, causing him to suffer abrasions and later headaches.

Watch the video below:

-- Posted by Donald Kaufman.