Teen: Cops Arrested Me For Observing Pungent Stench Of Dog Feces

All of this could have been avoided had a Bronx dog simply cleaned up after himself.

The 17-year-old Bronx teenager who was allegedly beaten in an alley by two NYPD officers says his troubles all started because he made an innocuous remark about canine excrement. Tyre Davis tells the Daily News that he was walking by a police officer near East 181st St. and Creston Avenue in Fordham Heights when detected the powerful aroma of dog feces. "It smells like doo-doo," Davis noted to his companion, and he says it was only then that he realized there was a uniformed cop scraping ordure off his shoe. "I was like, 'Oh, man, why did I say that?' " Davis recalls.

He says the other officers scolded him, then handcuffed him and took him to the 46th Precinct, where he was issued a disorderly conduct ticket. And when he was released, he claims Officers Joseph Murphy, 26, and Jose Ocasio, 28, were waiting for him outside the station house. The two cops are accused of taking Davis into an alley and hitting him "repeatedly with closed fists and kicks" to his face and body, leaving him with a cut and bruise to his forehead. He fell and hit his head on a brick wall, and tells the News, "I thought I was going to die."

But Davis lived to tell his mother about it, and she reported it to the NYPD. After an Internal Affairs investigation into the February incident, the two officers were charged Monday with third-degree assault, official misconduct and harassment. At press time, it was still unclear if investigators have any leads in tracking down the dog owner. But this isn't the first time that cops have been accused of beating someone up over dog doo.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By John Del Signore in News on July 13, 2011 10:47 AM

Comments [rss]

Jax

Yea! if said "Boy that cop smells like shit!" then he surely deserved to be arrested and beaten to a pulp by two cops. If it was just "doo doo" then its uncalled for.

ONE_LESS_FIXED_GEAR

Action/reaction - If you say something stupid, or have bad timing, you may just get yourself a beating. It may be by two cops, it may be by two gang bangers, it may be two old ladies. May not be right, but hey, the world, the last time I checked, isn't perfect. For that reason alone, you need to be aware of what environment your'e in, all the time.

ktinnyc

Really?

TakeThePledge

I can't stand stories like these. There was clearly much more to the story that they either aren't reporting or don't know. There's no way he said 'it smells like doo doo" and then cops in an unmarked nearby van heard him, came over and arrested him for it.

I also hate when the drug dealing thug immediately becomes the aspiring rap artist or college bound honor student.

Guest

Believe it. It has happened to me.

Spirit of 76

I'm pretty sure "doo doo" is his polite term for the newspapers. He probably said, "Smells like shit around here. (Sees cops) Yo, no wonder!"

bggb

Right. Cops NEVER have a hair trigger and act on spurious grounds, especially against a teenager of color in a poor neighborhood.

BarrioPuente

Disorderly conduct. Easiest way for a police officer to handcuff you.

Rocknrope

Does anyone seriously believe a 17-year old said "doo-doo."?

ktinnyc

If OBD can use the term so can this guy!

eflash

i doo

ogie

all this and person that let their dog shit on the sidewalk gets away unfined?

Guest

I had an officer from the 70 Pct. do almost the same thing to me. I was walking with my mother when he overheard a PRIVATE conversation and detected a remark that he did not like. This POS pursued me, stopped me outside of a local store and physically prevented me from leaving. He made some comment about "disorderly conduct' too. I wasn't even talking to him. This officer now has an active CCRB investigation against him, IAB is conducting their own investigation and a lawsuit has been filed against the officer, his commander and the P.C. This type of behavior by the police is getting more and more common. There seems to be a total lack of respect towards the public by today's officers. This city really needs to get rid of Ray Kelly, overhaul the entire department and actually have some accountability for their rogue officers. (this sentence was retracted because it seemed to annoy some sensitive people)

TakeThePledge

I can't tell if you're a rat or just a troll. Or better yet, which is worse.

Boo-hoo for you. Call a waaambulance.

Guest

I just don't like cops to behave outside of the law.

nomadnewyork

There has always been a huge thug element to the police department. This is nothing new. It got better when Bratton was in office, much better.

My theory is that 9-11 hit, it devastated the police force and seasoned officers retired. Too many kids were recruited too quickly and now
the force is overwhelmed due to the lack of new hires and the total disrespect from the Mayor's office.

Guest

You are completely correct. There is too much emphasis on having some college credit today but not enough on real world experience. The department was far better off under Bratton than it is with Kelly. Until the 90's I thought that NYPD could do no wrong but things sure have changed.

Brian

i sincerely doubt you were a leo, unless you consider a tsa bag checker to be one. what were you terminated for?

you may be right about kelly, though. is it possible the other side of the story is somewhat different?

Guest

I worked for the Dept. of the Interior as a NPS ranger. I was not terminated I just couldn't see working for 7-8 dollars per hour with no union versus the pay I could make outside the NPS. TSA checkers are not LEO's by the way.