The case of 14-year-old Bronx teen Javier Payne being slammed into the glass window of a hookah bar by a police officer may be reopened by incoming Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark.
The teen’s lawyer says the never-before-seen video of the May 2014 event is damning enough to prove the cop’s wrongdoing.
“There’s no question the video shows there was an assault. There was absolutely no justification for the sergeant to lay his hands on that handcuffed 14-year-old boy,” said lawyer Scott Rynecki. Rynecki is still astonished the former D.A. never offered up the evidence to the grand jury and has since filed a $25 million lawsuit on behalf of Javier. D.A. Robert Johnson initially cleared the sergeant because the window was previously cracked, the NY Daily News reports.
Javier and a friend were arrested for allegedly punching a man in the face after asking him for a cigarette. The video doesn’t have any sound, but Javier reportedly mouthed off to the cops as he stood handcuffed in front of the hookah bar. The video then shows Sgt. Eliezer Pabon taking a few steps back before running at the teen, striking him in the upper body, and shattering the store’s window. After being transported to the hospital, Javier went through four hours of emergency surgery to remove pieces of glass lodged in his heart and lungs.
The officer in question is facing disciplinary charges and is scheduled to begin trial in an administrative hearing early next month.
SOURCE: NY Daily News | VIDEO SOURCE: Inform
