Brooklyn Man to Sue NYC, NYPD $100M Over Mistaken Arrest

Timothy Brown, a Brooklyn home health aide and security guard, announced plans Tuesday to sue New York City and the New York Police Department for $100 million over a violent mistaken arrest at a liquor store on April 14. The incident, captured on bystander video that spread widely online, showed two plainclothes detectives beating Brown inside the Gowanus store as he attempted to buy wine after work.

According to a notice of claim filed by Brown's attorneys, the detectives, identified by police as Volkan Maden and Michael Algerio, mistook Brown for a suspect in a crack cocaine purchase based on his clothing, including green shorts. They approached without adequately identifying themselves, then used force for about eight minutes, slamming him into a glass display that shattered bottles and dragging him across the floor through broken glass. No drugs or contraband were found on Brown. He was issued summonses for resisting arrest and obstructing governmental administration, but the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office later dismissed the charges. Brown denied resisting, stating at a Manhattan press conference, "I never resisted arrest, not at all. There was nothing I could do. I...