NYPD Detectives Indicted In Beating Of U.S. Postal Service Worker
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Two New York City detectives are charged with assaulting a uniformed postal worker who they allegedly knew had given street directions to Ismaaiyl Brinsley, the man who later killed NYPD officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos in Bedford-Stuyvesant in 2014.
Detectives Angelo Pampena, 31, and Robert Carbone, 29 were arraigned Wednesday. Their attorneys didn't immediately comment.
According to the indictment, U.S. Postal Service worker Karim Baker was getting into his car on 96th Street in Corona on Oct. 21, 2015, when he was approached by two detectives driving an unmarked 2013 Nissan Altima. The detectives then demanded that Baker show them his ID, before the alleged assault.
According to the indictment, Pampena and Carbone allegedly punched and kicked Baker multiple times before dragging him out into the street. Baker was taken to Elmhurst Hospital and was later charged with disorderly conduct.
Pampena, who had been with the NYPD for nine years, filed a sworn criminal complaint alleging Baker was parked in front of a fire hydrant. The prosecutor says video evidence shows the vehicle was parked more than 15 feet away.
On the day of the fatal 2014 shooting, Brinsley allegedly stopped Baker and asked him for directions to the Marcy Houses while he was in uniform working as a FedEx employee, Eric Subin, Baker's lawyer, said in a statement.
It's not clear how much time elapsed between the directions and the slayings.
Subin said police had harassed Baker since he appeared in security footage giving directions to Brinsley. According to Subin, NYPD officers would show up at Baker's home, at his workplace and would repeatedly pull him over.
According to officials, the criminal case against Baker was dismissed. Pampena is facing charges of 2nd and 3rd-degree assault, 2nd-degree perjury, offering a false instrument for filing and official misconduct.
Carbone, who was with the NYPD for eight years, is charged with 2nd and 3rd-degree assault.
If convicted, both detectives could face up to seven years in prison.
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