Teen To Sue Newark After Police Encounter Leaves Him With Broken Shoulder

NEWARK, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- A Newark teenager has made a startling claim against the city's police department that has resulted in the suspension of one of its officers.

As 1010 WINS' Glenn Schuck reported, 14-year-old Jamod Watkins was walking to a deli near his home on Feb. 2 when several unmarked cars with flashing lights surrounded him.

The men got out of the vehicles and started screaming at him "'Hey stop right there; police, police!'" Watkins said.

"So that's when I stopped, put my hands up. They came up on me, they grabbed me, threw me to the ground. I felt the knee in my back. They pulled my arm back and once they pulled my arm back to put me in handcuffs, I heard it pop," the teen continued.

Watkins suffered a broken shoulder that was so severe it requires surgery, according to his attorney, Rosemarie Arnold.

"Then they started asking what gang was I in. I'm like, 'I'm not in a gang, I'm not in a gang. I go to the South 17th Street School,'" the eighth-grader said.

Arnold told 1010 WINS that once the officers realized Watkins was just 14 years old and innocent, they left him on the street with his severe injury without calling for medical aid.

"I was pleading and begging them, 'Can you please get me an ambulance. Can you please get me an ambulance,'" he said.

But Watkins said he was left to stagger home to get help.

Part of the incident was caught on video, Schuck reported. Now, a notice has been filed with the intent to sue the city of Newark.

"This was an unadulterated beating for no reason besides the fact that he is black," said Arnold. "We intend to seek justice for Jamod. The police officers that did this should be arrested."

Arnold said Watkins is a good kid who has no previous run-ins with the law, does well in school and is a star athlete. He had just won the most valuable player award on his baseball team, according to Arnold.

"My life will never be the same," Watkins said.

One police officer has been suspended for failure to report the incident, Schuck reported. Det. Wilberto Ruiz, a two-year veteran, was assigned to the gang enforcement unit, according to the city's Department of Public Safety.

But Arnold pointed out that the other officers involved have remained unidentified and on the job.

The public safety office said there is an ongoing investigation into what happened to Watkins and that some officers with the gang unit are being re-assigned.

"This is an ongoing investigation. At the conclusion of the Essex County Prosecutor's investigation, we will make a determination on the appropriate actions. Because this is an active investigation, we will not comment further at this time," Acting Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose said in a statement.

The Essex County Prosecutor's Office is also investigating the alleged assault.

Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact the Essex County Prosecutor's Office Professional Standards Bureau at (862) 520-3700).