alonzo grant outside court.jpg

San Francisco lawyer Charles Bonner with Syracuse resident Alonzo Grant outside the Syracuse Public Safety Building before a court appearance.

(Douglass Dowty | ddowty@syracuse.com)

Syracuse, NY -- A Syracuse man who claims police brutality had all charges against him dropped today by the Onondaga County District Attorney's Office.

Alonzo Grant, 53, complains that Syracuse police left him bloodied after arresting him on false charges of disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and harassment in a June 28 confrontation at his 105 Hudson St. residence.

After reviewing the case, the DA's office concluded that Grant had done nothing wrong.

"Witnesses at the scene, both related and unrelated to Mr. Grant, did not report any conduct by him that could reasonably be considered resisting arrest," prosecutors said in a news release. The law did not support the disorderly conduct charge, either.

"It appears that Mr. Grant has an unblemished record and is well-established in the community," the DA's office continued. "Based upon all of the foregoing factors, this office has moved to dismiss these charges in the interest of justice."

Syracuse Police Chief Frank Fowler declined Wednesday to discuss the decision by the DA's office to drop the charges against Grant.

"That's not something that's appropriate for me to comment on," he said.

Fowler confirmed that an internal police department investigation into the matter is underway, but would not provide specifics.

Alonzo Grant's lawyers provided this photo of injuries Grant suffered in a June 28 encounter with police.

One of Grant's lawyers, Jesse Ryder, said the DA's office vindicated his client's version of what happened.

"Our client is innocent. He was innocent from day one. We're happy the DA's office has recognized that," Ryder said, stressing Grant's spotless criminal record.

Grant has filed a complaint against officers with the city's Citizen Review Board and plans to file a federal lawsuit, said another attorney, Charles Bonner, of San Francisco.

"I want to applaud Chief Assistant DA Alison Fineberg and DA Fitzpatrick," Bonner said. "They felt the injustice in this case and they wanted to be on the right side of justice. And they did the right thing. I think this is going to have a unifying effect on the Syracuse community."

The confrontation started after Grant called for police help one Saturday evening to report an argument between his daughter and a neighbor in the front yard. By the time officers arrived, the dispute was over.

Instead, police charged Grant with acting aggressively around his wife and other officers. The DA's office described what happened:

Those findings came after Fitzpatrick assigned Fineberg and two investigators to review the case. They interviewed six witnesses and three police officers, and read all related police reports, affidavits and partial video of the incident, the release stated. Fineberg declined to comment beyond what was stated in the news release.

The prosecutors' version of events is starkly different from what the two responding officers claimed happened.

An account from Officer Montalto described it this way: "The defendant violently punched the front door of the house causing it to fly open,in the presence of police officers, and continued to annoy and alarm all parties involved with his violent, tumultuous, threatening behavior."

The police then accused Grant of grabbing an officer around the waist and attempting to tackle him.

Lawyers provided this photo of Alonzo Grant after an altercation with Syracuse police.

Grant "refused to comply with several commands to place his hands behind his back so that he could be placed into handcuffs. In order to effect this authorized arrest the defendant's hand (sic) were physically led behind his back," Montalto wrote.

Grant was due in City Court today to face the charges. But instead, Fineberg publicly announced the DA's office intention to drop the charges.

Grant is a 30-year employee of St. Joseph's Hospital Health Center who works seven days a week and has been married for the past 28 years.

His case is one of two recent accusations of police brutality that led to a review of the city's use of force policy by Common Councilors.

Bonner, his lawyer, said this case will be a beacon for those victimized by "rogue officers."

A federal lawsuit will be filed Thursday accusing Syracuse police of false arrest, falsified police reports and conspiracy to deprive Grant of his federal and state Constitutional rights, the lawyer said.