A college-bound Manhattan teen is suing the city, saying cops threw him 15 feet onto a concrete landing, fracturing his skull, in a false arrest over an alleged marijuana sale.
Bobby Lopez, 19, who had been admitted to La Guardia Community College, claims undercover officers tackled him to the ground in front of his West 17th Street apartment on Aug. 16, 2016, the Manhattan Supreme Court suit says.
Cops claimed they’d witnessed Lopez hand his older brother three baggies of marijuana and try to flee when they moved in to arrest him, according to court papers.
But criminal charges against the two were tossed, and Lopez’s attorney Ugochukwu Uzoh says surveillance footage of the incident clears his client.
The suit, for unspecified damages, says cops didn’t immediately call for medical attention even though Lopez was unconscious. He later underwent emergency life-saving surgery to remove part of his skull, according to court papers.
He suffered brain damage and now struggles to perform basic functions like bending over and looking at bright lights, Uzoh said.
A city Law Department spokesman said “the complaint will be reviewed.”
Our editors found this article on this site using Google and regenerated it for our readers.
