The Brief
- The two NYPD detectives seen in the video of a violent arrest in Brooklyn tried to call for backup using WhatsApp, instead of police radios.
- The detectives also were not wearing body cameras during the arrest, in violation of department policy.
- The two detectives from the video, as well as several others from the Brooklyn North narcotics unit have been placed on modified duty, and the NYPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau is investigating the incident.
NEW YORK – New video from the now-viral arrest of a man in a Brooklyn liquor store last week is raising questions about NYPD procedure, as it appears to show officers relying on WhatsApp to communicate during the altercation, not police radios.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: NYPD officers’ violent arrest caught on video; Mamdani calls it ‘extremely disturbing’
Brooklyn arrest video goes viral
The backstory:
Timothy Brown was arrested last week at a Brooklyn liquor store. Video of the arrest quickly went viral, showing two narcotics detectives from Brooklyn North repeatedly punching and kicking him, dragging him to the ground and to the front of the store. Detectives thought Brown was a part of a drug deal because he matched the description of a suspect. Brown was not the suspect.
In that viral video, one of the arresting detectives is seen on his phone, first texting, then dialing, trying to get backup. Instead of using a police radio, the detective was apparently trying to contact officers through WhatsApp.…