NYPD beat homeless man in synagogue outreach center Graphic surveillance video shows cops strike, kick and pepper-spray shirtless, shoeless Ehud Halevi

The NYPD beat up a homeless man in Brooklyn last week as he resisted arrest for sleeping in a synagogue outreach center, where he had permission to stay. Surveillance video obtained by local news site CrownHeights.info shows two officers brutally beating a shoeless and shirtless man, Ehud Halevi, who insisted he had permission to be in the center for troubled youth, ALIYA (Alternative Learning Institute for Young Adults).

Although sources confirmed with CrownHeights.info that Halevi had been sleeping in the space for a month with permission, one security guard, unaware of the arrangement, called the police. The guard later told the New York Daily News that he regretted making the call.

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According to Gothamist, "[Halevi] was also pepper sprayed during the arrest, [and] was charged with assaulting a police officer, trespassing, resisting arrest and harassment. He's currently out on bail and faces up to five years in prison for assaulting an officer." The NYPD have yet to issue comment.

Watch the footage below (warning: graphic content), via CrownHeights.info [h/t Gothamist]: