Two New York City police officers have been arrested on assault charges in the videotaped beating of a teenage marijuana suspect.
David Afanador and Tyraine Isaac pleaded not guilty at their arraignment Wednesday and were released on their own recognizances.
Security video from August 29, 2014 captured 16-year-old Kahreem Tribble slowing down on a Brooklyn sidewalk as the officers caught up to him.
It shows an NYPD officer identified as Isaac hitting the teen with a roundhouse punch. Seconds later, as the teen tries to surrender, Afanador appears to hit him with his pistol. The beating continues until the teen drops to the ground and is handcuffed.
Tribble’s father hopes justice for his son can be served. The teen was accused of having marijuana in his possession, but his attorney says there are no charges against him.
“I hope the District Attorney’s office will prosecute these police officers to the full extent of the law. That’s what I want to see happen, that’s what his parents want to see happen,” Kahreem’s attorney said.
“But their general attitude seems to be that they can operate with impunity, victimize members of this community, their children. They’ve gotta be stopped. They’re behaving like common criminals as I’ve said before and they should be treated as such.”
The defense attorney in the case says the video does not tell the whole story. He says the teen did not obey orders to stop. Kahreem is also bigger than the officers and posed a threat.
Both officers sat stoic in court and said nothing. One faces felony assault and the other faces minor assault. They are suspended from the 77th precinct pending the outcome of the case.
The case comes after the July death of an unarmed man, Eric Garner, during a videotaped arrest on Staten Island. No charges have yet been filed in the case. The family plans to sue the city for $75 million.
