Knife-wielding man caught on video punching cop sues for false arrest
A knife-wielding Harlem man — caught on video shoving a cop and then slugging him in the face — is suing the city and police officers for assault and false arrest.
Saykou George claims in the new Manhattan civil suit that his rights were violated. George, 31, who became unruly as soon as he was approached by two police officers on West 129th Street, says cops should have used “a pocket ruler” to measure the gravity knife he was carrying to determine that it wasn’t illegal.
George, who had an open warrant as well as past arrests for assault and marijuana, was charged with resisting arrest and assaulting an officer. The criminal charges are still pending.
He’s suing the city plus the two cops who arrested him — Police Officers Melissa Veliz and Jean Francisco.
A city spokesman said, “These officers put themselves in danger in order to protect the public, and behaved appropriately as widely reported.”
The Civilian Complaint Review Board, a police watchdog group, found that the officers did not use excessive force. But the CCRB substantiated an improper stop-and-frisk claim and recommended formalized training.
Follow link in headline for video of man attacking police.
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