In response to my inquiries, the Port Authority said through its press office that the matter had been referred to the agency’s independent Office of the Inspector General. “We hold our officers to the highest standards,” the statement says. “And any conduct that would require disciplinary action will be addressed following the conclusion of the investigation.”

The investigators may want to begin with a close examination of the police’s official account, as written in a criminal complaint to the court. The police claim that Mr. Espinosa “resisted arrest in that he manipulated his arms and hands to avoid handcuffing, continuously flailed his legs, and laid down on the ground” — a characterization that seems exaggerated at best. (Surveillance cameras on the corner, to which the Port Authority has access, should provide useful information for investigators.)

The police also wrote in their official complaint that Mr. Espinosa, while in custody on the way to the hospital, “repeatedly kicked” an officer, hurting his hand. Mr. Espinosa is contesting all the charges and has declined to plead guilty to reduced non-felony charges.

Mr. Espinosa’s public defender, Rebecca Phipps, informed the Manhattan district attorney’s office that the Port Authority inspector general had begun an investigation. He was released on Dec. 13; his next court date is Feb. 5.

Citing privacy concerns, Ms. Phipps would not provide me with any further personal information about Mr. Espinosa. The facility commander of the Port Authority Police declined to comment in response to inquiries about Mr. Espinosa’s initial felony-assault charge.

After I briefed him on the details of the case, Scott Hechinger, a senior staff attorney and director of policy at Brooklyn Defender Services, expressed skepticism about the police account, while cautioning that each case is different. “These are the quintessential allegations police make against someone who has been the victim of excessive force,” he said.

While the truth of what happened on the way to Bellevue Hospital may end up a matter of Mr. Espinosa’s word versus that of the Port Authority police officers, the police’s less than forthright characterization of Mr. Espinosa’s arrest suggests this incident may be yet another case of excessive force by New York City public safety officers.