An NYPD lieutenant with a lengthy complaint history told a disciplinary judge he kicked a suspect because he feared the man was reaching for a weapon. But footage from multiple cameras showed the suspect attempting to surrender, according to testimony reported by the New York Daily News.
An NYPD lieutenant who was caught on video kicking a suspect in the head following a high-speed Manhattan car chase tried to justify his actions by saying he believed the man was reaching for a weapon. That explanation apparently didn’t hold up particularly well against the video evidence.
Lt. Nikolaos Stefopoulos, a nearly two-decade veteran of the department with an extensive history of civilian complaints, was the subject of disciplinary proceedings over his February 2024 encounter with Brian Marchany, who was 25 at the time…