It's cop vs. cop in an interesting Brooklyn incident that stems from a robber attempting to steal a car. A sergeant at Brooklyn's 78st Precinct accused three officers of assaulting a man suspected of stealing a car belonging to one of the officers. The Daily News says that Sergeant Greg Abrahams and officers Mark Zajac and Chris Kirch were off-duty when they saw a man trying to steal Abrahams's car, parked in front of 11 Lincoln Place in Park Slope.
The suspect was sitting in the car and had ripped out the front console, sources said.
Police said the three cops got into a struggle with the suspect, later identified as Alcado Gaspar, 47, of Park Slope. A neighbor called 911 to report a street fight, and cops from Brooklyn's 78th Precinct responded.
The officers arrested Gaspar and charged him with criminal possession of stolen property, criminal mischief and attempted grand larceny auto.
Then a 78th precinct sergeant said that the three had assaulted Gaspar, but others says Gaspar did not have any injuries. Internal Affairs is investigating and the three officers were charged with misdemeanor assault.
And in other NYPD personnel news, Richard Neri, the police officer who fatally shot 19 year old Timothy Stansbury on a dark Brooklyn rooftop in 2003, was suspended for 30 days as his punishment. Stansbury was unarmed and simply on the roof with a friend; Neri seemed to have shot at Stansbury out of nervousness. Police Commissioner Kelly said the shooting was unjustified, and the original NYPD department punishment was originally that Neri would lose 30 vacation days, but Commissioner Kelly made it more severe with the 30 day suspension. Neri was also moved to a desk job) Still, Stansbury family lawyer Kenneth Ramseur said the suspension was an "outrage" and says Neri's "too nervous and unstable to carry a gun." Here's Gotham Gazette on the shooting.
