A Yonkers cop who punched and kicked a defenseless suspect in the face during an arrest was charged Monday with assault.
Detective Sergeant Hector Cartagena, 55, pleaded not guilty to second-degree assault, second-degree attempted assault and third-degree assault at his arraignment in Westchester County court.
Bodycam video captured Cartagena wailing on the suspect following a car chase on March 14 in Yonkers. Prosecutors said he landed four kicks and 10 punches to the face on the unnamed man.
“The actions of this police supervisor are indefensible. It’s the very definition of disrespect for the badge and we condemn it,” Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano said in a statement.
On March 14, Yonkers cops located a stolen vehicle and pursued the suspect driving it through city streets, the department said in a statement. According to police, the suspect “caused several collisions with police vehicles, injured several officers, drove recklessly, and endangered the public.”
The chase ended with a crash at an intersection, cops said. Bodycam video shows officers hauling the man out of the car and pinning him to the ground.
As two officers held the man’s hands behind his back and shocked him with a Taser, video captured Cartagena kicking the suspect in the face multiple times. He then kneels down to the suspect’s level, lifts his head and punches him in the face numerous times.
Yonkers police leaders said they quickly referred the case to the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office, which investigated and brought the charges against Cartagena.
“Rather than bringing this unwarranted prosecution, the city and county should have stood behind this highly decorated officer who has served the community without blemish for 25 years,” Cartagena’s attorney, Chad Seigel, told The Associated Press.
Cartagena, a 24-year-old veteran of the force, was suspended without pay. He is due back in court July 31.
With News Wire Services
