A former New York City police officer was found guilty of assault for punching a man in the face six times and breaking his nose while the officer and his partner were on patrol.
Former officer Juan Perez was convicted on Thursday of assaulting Borim Husenaj while on duty Nov. 10, 2021.
“Today a judge found former NYPD Officer Perez guilty of assault for punching an individual in the face six times,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said. “Members of law enforcement have important positions of trust in our city, and holding accountable those who violate that trust is essential for lasting public safety.”
Perez and his partner were responding to a radio call when they observed Husenaj, who was 26 at the time, in the Greenwich Village neighborhood acting erratically and holding a liquor bottle, an indictment filed last year showed, according to The Associated Press.
Following a verbal exchange, Perez pushed Husenaj against the wall and attempted to place him in handcuffs.
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Perez and Husenaj then fell to the ground, at which point Perez began to “rapidly punch” Husenaj, who was “lying on the ground defenseless,” according to prosecutors.
Husenaj, who moved to live with family members in the country of Kosovo in January 2022 before taking his own life two months later, was treated for a broken nose following the assault. He also experienced “emotional and psychological injuries, pain, suffering, mental anguish, economic and pecuniary damages,” reads a lawsuit Husenaj’s estate filed last year against Perez and New York City.
The “vicious assault and battery” heightened Husenaj’s fear and paranoia, which was a “substantial factor” in his suicide, the lawsuit stated.
Husenaj’s family thanked the district attorney’s office and Judge Maxwell Wiley in a statement following Perez’s guilty verdict.
“Borim is no longer with us to see justice served today and his name vindicated,” his family said. “This was a great day for our family and all New Yorkers.”
Perez retired from the police department last year. Perez’s attorney, Stuart London, told The New York Times that his client had “responded to that location to help an individual” and when “this individual turned on him and attacked him, all he did was stop the threat.”
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Police Benevolent Association president Patrick Hendry purported that the guilty verdict against Perez sent “a chilling message” to police officers who are “being violently attacked on the streets every day.”
“If this is what happens when we try to protect ourselves, we won’t be able to protect the public,” Hendry said in a statement. “We believe this verdict ignores all the facts, and we will be helping our police officer appeal it immediately.”
New York Civil Liberties Union legal director Chris Dunn applauded Bragg’s office for bringing the case that led to Perez’s conviction.
“When district attorneys prosecute cops, they send a clear message to officers that they’re not above the law,” Dunn told The Associated Press. “We need more of that police accountability.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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